Casey Mears is on the verge of his 600th NASCAR start at Martinsville Speedway next weekend.
There may be a handful more on the horizon.
Mears continued his Cup Series comeback Sunday (Oct. 19) at Talladega Superspeedway with an 18th-place finish for Carl Long’s part-time operation. Driving the No. 66 Ford, he overcame early issues that left him a lap down at one point to produce the best run for the MBM Motorsports operation in five years.
It’s part of a five-race deal that’s taken Mears off the sidelines after a six-year NASCAR hiatus. And at 47 years of age, he feels there’s plenty still left in the tank.
…
But now, the focus is back on racing, at least for a part-time schedule as Mears looks to set another record for himself: 500 career Cup Series starts.
Martinsville next weekend would be 493, and another scheduled start at Phoenix Raceway with MBM makes 494. Beyond that, Mears is actively shopping a 2026 deal armed with the momentum of his Sunday performance.
“We’re chasing 500,” he said. “So, we’re going to go to Martinsville, run Phoenix, and after that, I think we’re looking for six more races next season.
“Just really want to make that 500 mark happen.”
— Frontstretch —