As for Casey Mears, a source close to his situation said that he likely will replace Max Papis in the Germain Racing #13 car no later than the Atlanta race at the end of the month. He will drive for the team, which has a half-season sponsorship from GEICO, in 2011 as well. The team, which has gone to every race this year but not run the full event at venues where it is unsponsored, needs sponsorship for 18 races in 2011.(Scene Daily)(8-9-2010)
UPDATE: Sirius NASCAR Radio’s Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody has confirmed that Casey Mears will replace Max Papis in the #13 Germain Racing GEICO Sprint Cup Series Toyota, beginning at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 5. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a source close to the team said the deal will be completed and contracts signed within the next 48 hours. The car will “start and park” at both Michigan and Bristol with drivers TBA, before Mears takes over at Atlanta. He will also drive the car in the full 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. Papis, meanwhile, will run the full NASCAR Camping World Truck Series slate next season in a GEICO-sponsored Toyota, also out of the Germain Racing stable.(Sirius Speedway)(8-9-2010)
UPDATE: Germain Racing’s Max Papis expects to remain a GEICO-sponsored driver but whether he competes in another full Sprint Cup race with the sponsor this year remains to be seen. Casey Mears is expected to replace Papis in the #13 Germain Racing car in the Sprint Cup Series for the next sponsored race in September at Atlanta. The insurance company also is expected to sponsor Mears for a part-time Cup schedule in 2011. Papis could end up in the Camping World Truck Series with GEICO sponsorship. The company has sponsored him for 18 Cup races this year, and Papis has been to the rest of the races to start-and-park. “It would benefit a lot for me to run a full season, and that’s what GEICO wants,” Papis said Saturday at Michigan International Speedway, where he made the Cup race but doesn’t plan to run the full event Sunday. “We’re working to make that happen. I don’t know what that will mean on the Cup side. That’s only what I know right now. If I could run a full season, it would help quite a bit. It will not be in the Cup series.”(Scene Daily)(8-15-2010)
