“LFG”: Fans rejoice as Casey Mears’ set to make Daytona 500 comeback after seven years

Casey Mears is all set to make his Dayton 500 return after a seven-year hiatus. The Californian will partner with Garage 66 and attempt to qualify on an open entry.

Mears made five Cup Series starts last year, three of which were with Garage 66. He competed in the final three races at Talladega, Martinsville, and Phoenix, finishing as high as 18th at the superspeedway track.

It was also his comeback of sorts, as he previously competed back in 2019. This time around, he looks to redeem himself at the season-opening crown jewel event, for he finished dead last in his last attempt after a Stage 2 wreck.

NASCAR reporter Joseph Srigley reported on the news, writing,

"On @SiriusXMNASCAR, Carl Long confirms that @MBMMotorsports will be fielding a #DAYTONA500 entry for Casey Mears. The team will also field an ARCA Menards Series entry for Derek White at Daytona."

Fans embraced Mears' return with open arms. Here are some reactions:

"LFG Casey Mears!!!," a fan wrote. "PEAK," another exclaimed. "I will be rooting for Casey Mears," an X user wrote. "Heck yeah! Glad to see this!," a fan said. "Hopefully Mike Wallace can get another shot at it. Happy that Mears is gonna try tho. Hope he makes it!," another penned.

65-year-old Mike Wallace was originally planned to run Garage 66' Cup entry in the 2025 Daytona 500, but NASCAR's refusal led to Chandler Smith replacing him. Mears, on the other hand, has competed in 'The Great American Race' fifteen times, with his runner-up placing in 2006 being his best result so far.

Other confirmed open entries include Jimmie Johnson, Corey Heim, and Justin Allgaier.

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Casey Mears reflects upon unfavourable 'fan perspective'

Earlier this year, Casey Mears went on the Dale Jr. Download podcast and addressed his near misses due to the green-white-checkered. Dale Earnhardt Jr. asked whether Mears felt such late-stage cautions deprived him of more wins.

"We had three races that year. We were leading Texas at the end, had a caution with like five to go. We were leading Atlanta, had a caution with like six or eight to go. And we were leading Homestead with 17 to go. I don't think that they did that in a way of, you know, 'We need this other guy to win the race.' No. It was purely an opportunity to make the racing more exciting," Mears said. "From a fan's perspective, to get like a green white checkered or a late race run, it was exciting. You know, I can't say that it was wrong, you know, but I can say it didn't work in my favor." he added.

Despite his extensive and storied career, Casey Mears has just one Cup Series win to his name. He secured it during the 2007 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

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Edited by Vignesh Kanna