Casey Mears Lands Five-Race Deal With Beard Motorsports

Casey Mears will reach his goal of 500 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series as he has landed a five-race deal to compete for Beard Motorsports, beginning at Talladega.

Feb 15, 2026; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Casey Mears (66) during the 68th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Casey Mears is set to accomplish his goal of 500 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series ranks. The winner of the 2007 Coca-Cola 600, who resurfaced last season after a lengthy six-year hiatus, will compete in five NASCAR Cup Series events this year behind the wheel of the No. 62 Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports.

Mears' first start with the Beard team will come at Talladega Superspeedway on April 26. Heading into his five-race stint with Beard Motorsports, Mears sits at 495 career NASCAR Cup Series starts.

In addition to Talladega in April, Mears will compete for Beard Motorsports in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, the YellaWood 500 at Talladega in the fall, and the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Mears will have sponsorship backing from a plethora of longtime partners, including the Gracie Foundation, a foundation honoring the late Gracie Germain.

The Beard Motorsports team is honored to provide the opportunity to Mears for the veteran racer to accomplish the 500 starts milestone.

“We’re thrilled with the opportunity to partner with Casey Mears for these five races in 2026,” said Amie Beard-Deja, executive vice president, Beard Motorsports, in a press release. “It has been well documented that Beard Motorsports is a passion project for my family, and we’ve been committed to carrying on what my dad started. To take the No. 62 Chevrolet to new venues is beyond anything we could’ve imagined when we started in 2017.

“After hearing about Casey’s desire to get to his 500th Cup Series start, we started talking. His experience in the NASCAR Cup Series and at the tracks we’ll visit with him this year makes us very excited for the rest of the season.”

Mears just feels that it's right that he'll check off his 500th career start driving for a family-owned Beard Motorsports team, which always does its best to come to the track prepared to compete any time they show up, and he couldn't be more thankful to the Germain family for always supporting him through the journey.

“Partnering with Beard Motorsports, a team founded by the late Mark Beard Sr., and operated by his wife and daughter, means a lot to me. We have a feel-good story that connects with race fans,” Mears said. “One thing I’ve learned during the last year is how much I still love racing and competing. I’m incredibly appreciative of Bob Germain and his continued support as I close in on 500 Cup starts. His generosity is moving, and I’m thankful for his friendship."

Mears continued, "I’ve watched Beard Motorsports race over the years, and it’s a team that doesn’t just show up for superspeedway races – they make races and are competitive. As a racer, that’s really appealing." 

Mears competed in the season-opening Daytona 500, driving the No. 66 Ford for Garage 66. After making the race in dramatic fashion, Mears would finish 32nd, five laps off the pace.

If all goes to plan, the 48-year-old driver, who began his NASCAR Cup Series career in 2003, will become just the 48th driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to achieve 500 career starts when he takes the green flag at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November.