Mears looks to step out of shadows
January 8, 2008
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -Two teammates have combined for six championships. The third is so popular, Casey Mears was shuffled into obscurity at his very own hauler when Dale Earnhardt Jr. surprisingly stopped by for lunch.
``We're kind of like the forgotten son,'' crew chief Alan Gustafson. ``And that's fine.''
Mears and the No. 5 team are definitely comfortable in the shadows at Hendrick Motorsports, despite being perceived as the weak link of the mighty organization.
Jimmie Johnson is the two-time defending Cup champion, while Jeff Gordon has four titles. Mears, who has all of one career Cup victory, was just getting settled at Hendrick when NASCAR's most popular driver decided to sign with the team. To make room for Earnhardt, Mears was moved to a new crew.
Now with a crew that found success when Kyle Busch was the driver, and in an organization with three superstars in the stable, the pressure is clearly on Mears to deliver.
``Dale is obviously the most popular driver out there, and Jimmie winning the championships and Jeff being who he is, you definitely don't think 'Oh, Casey Mears is on that team, too,''' Mears said Tuesday during testing at Daytona International Speedway.
``But I've never really worried about that. Internally we all know that we are working hard together to try to be successful, and I think we have a lot to prove this year.''
Gustafson wasted little time getting to work, making sure his cars were the first on the track when the three-day test session opened on Monday. He took pride that both cars he brought to Daytona made laps before any other team got both of theirs out, and Mears hovered near the top of the speed charts in all single-lap sessions.
Because this driver-crew chief pairing is new, it will take time for Mears and Gustafson to figure each other out. So Gustafson has worked hard in offseason preparations, hoping whatever they lack right now in communication will be offset by superior equipment.
``Being first on the track is not about ego, it's about being prepared,'' Gustafson said. ``I am really proud of my team, and really proud that both of my cars were out first - and there's a direct correlation to how we performed. Both of our cars have been at the top of the sheet all day long.
``There are only so many hours in the day, and if there's one thing I learned it's that the guy who uses those hours the best is going to be the guy who is furthest ahead.''
The No. 5 team can't afford to fall behind early. If it does, it most certainly will be left in the dust by the Hendrick stars, and Mears has already experienced that once before.
He had high hopes when he joined Hendrick last year after four winless seasons at Chip Ganassi Racing, but a shakeup of the crew just a week before Speedweeks began put his new team behind. It took time to adapt to new crew chief Darian Grubb, as well as driving a Chevrolet after four years in a Dodge.
Before he knew it, Mears was struggling to stay inside the top 35 in points, and falling below that mark that guarantees a spot in the field each week would have crippled his season.
But Mears rallied and even scored his first career victory by winning the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 in May. It put the nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears in Victory Lane on Memorial Day, and gave him hope that his career was finally turning around.
Only it didn't. Mears scored just seven top 10 finishes the rest of the season while finishing 15th in points, the only Hendrick driver not involved in the Chase for the championship.
``Looking back at it now, I think we had a pretty good season considering what we had to overcome,'' Mears said. ``Getting a win was a big relief, but there was also some frustration with not being able to back it up with another one.
``Now going into this year, Alan feels like our team is probably the best prepared. We've got a lot of great guys, we're really excited, and at the same time, we know the weakest link is just going to be me and Alan getting our communication up to speed.''
This is the fourth crew chief Mears has had in four seasons. And although he is used to adapting to new team leaders, it will take Gustafson some time to adjust to his quiet new driver after four years of reigning in the temperamental and aggressive Busch.
Gustafson would like to see Mears adopt a little bit of Busch's bravado before the season begins.
``I'd like to see Casey be a little bit more cocky, maybe have a bigger chip on his shoulder,'' Gustafson said. ``He has a right to do that. He's a good driver, he's proven himself, and it's time for him to say 'Hey, you've got to beat me.'
``In his defense, he's never been able to be that guy because he never had the stability to become entrenched and say 'This is my deal, this is who I am.' I really want to give him that stability and that attitude.''
If it clicks fast enough, Mears is confident he can hold his own with his teammates.
``I've been under the radar the last couple years and I'm hoping this year to break out,'' he said. ``I don't need all the attention, but I want the success on the track. I want to win races and I want to make the Chase, and I know we can do that.
``Once we make the Chase, then we have as good a shot as anyone to win the championship.''