2015 Sprint Cup Series Forecast- Casey Mears
Aug 17, 2014; Brooklyn, MI, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Casey Mears during the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Upset city
Germain Racing deserves a ton of credit for continuing to persevere in the face of adversity.
When it comes to standing up against the multi-car giants of the Sprint Cup Series, Germain Racing has held its own nicely. Overall, this team continues to make slight improvements with each passing season. Perhaps this is the year it benefits from the fruits of its labor by making a surprise appearance in the Chase.
With all the right pieces in place, it’s only a matter of time before this team expands from a single-car operation into a multi-car contender. However, that highly depends on how the 2015 campaign plays out. Sprint Cup Series veteran Casey Mears returns for his fifth season with Germain Racing hoping to capitalize on a productive 2014 season that saw the team increase its number of top 20 finishes from eight to 14. The team will once again receive financial backing from longtime sponsor Gieco for 33 of the 36 races.
Last July, Mears recorded Germain Racing’s first top five finish in the Sprint Cup Series, when he finished fourth in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. In fact, the team finished inside the top 10 in three of the four restrictor plate races run last season. Germain Racing has to feel optimistic about its chances of stealing one from the competition heading into Speedweeks. Thanks to a strong restrictor plate program in recent years, Germain Racing has found a way to put its driver in prime position to not only qualify for the Chase, but end his seven year winless drought.
But before this team can celebrate a victory, it’s absolutely imperative that improvements are made to its performance on intermediate tracks. Remember, Germain Racing did make some significant gains in this area last season, despite falling two spots in the driver standings.
In the event Mears does, in fact, win a race in 2015, Germain Racing knows it will have quite the battle on its hands trying to survive past the first round of the Chase. Until this scenario comes to fruition, Germain Racing should just keep on fighting the good fight. It will all come together sooner rather than later.
As for Mears, he enters 2015 in the final year of his contract with Germain Racing. Given his age and the current influx of talent making their way up the Sprint Cup Series ranks, it’s highly unlikely Mears would land a competitive ride at this stage of his career. Whether Mears has one last good run in him remains to be seen, but he should feel really good about what he has accomplished in his four plus years with Germain Racing.
Mears has this team believing it’s on the brink of something special. Mears’ positive impact on the team’s progress over the last two seasons should fuel Germain Racing’s desire to re-sign before the season ends. Having Mears stick around for a couple of more seasons could bolster Germain Racing’s plans of a possible expansion following the 2015 season.
Outcome
Wins – 0
Top 5s – 3
Top 10s- 4
Poles- 0
28th in the driver standings
Follow Stock Car Spin on Twitter @SCSblog or like Stock Car Spin on Facebook.