hearing that Geoffrey Bodine and Welliver acing eill part ways from the #66 Phillips 66 BGN chevy after the Rockingham race this weekend and that Casey Mears will be his replacement starting at Homestead for the final BGN race of the 2001 season(11-2-2001) UPDATE: Geoffrey Bodine has been fired by Welliver-Jesell Motorsports as driver of the #66 BGN car, effective after this weekend’s race at Rockingham, N.C. The news was confirmed by Bodine’s spokesperson, Lisa Cox. She said Bodine, oldest of the three racing brothers from Chemung, was notified by the team on Wednesday. Scott and Jeff Welliver of Elmira, cousins who own the team, could not be reached for comment. Bodine was at North Carolina Speedway on Friday trying to qualify the Phillips 66 Chevrolet for today’s Sam’s Club 200. Cox said Bodine was disappointed with the firing but was determined to land another ride for the 2002 season. “We’re talking to some teams, but there’s nothing that we can comment on now,” Cox said.(Elmira Star Gazette)(11-3-2001) UPDATE 2: Welliver-Jesel Motorsports and Phillips 66 Racing will have a Press Announcement on Friday, November 9, 2001, 12:00noon.et at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Infield Meeting Room to set their plans for 2002 Racing Season(IMG Motorsports PR)(11-7-2001) UPDATE 3: Casey Mears, the son of off-road racer Roger Mears and the nephew of CART legend Rick Mears, will replace Geoffrey Bodine at Homestead and could wind up in the organization’s Phillips 66-sponsored entry full time next year.(Winston Cup Scene)(11-8-2001) UPDATE 4: Scott Welliver and Wayne Jesel, partners of Welliver-Jesel Motorsports, announced they have signed Casey Mears to pilot the #66 Phillips 66 BGN car. The move is effective immediately beginning with this weekend’s BGN race at Homestead. Mears is the 23-year-old nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears and son of off-road racing great Roger Mears. This isn’t the first time the Bakersfield, Calif., native has been behind the wheel of a stock car. Mears finished ninth in his one ARCA start at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2001. Following his Homestead debut, Mears will run the full Busch Series schedule in 2002 in the No. 66 while competing for rookie of the year honors. The #66 Phillips 66 Chevrolet will carry some new colors this weekend in Miami. The car will be painted purple and carry the INJEX name. INJEX is a 2-Cycle motor oil produced by Phillips 66.. INJEX is recommended for use in outboard motors and other small 2-cycle engines. The oil, much like the car, is dyed purple for easy identification. (IMG Motorsports PR)(11-10-2001)
