Mears to make 200th start at Indy

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (July 26, 2008) -- Casey Mears, driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Chevrolet will be making his 200th career start on Sunday in the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard.

It’s fitting for Mears to make his 200th start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. After all, the 2.5-mile oval has a lot of history with the Mears family. Both Mears’ father and uncle raced there during their open-wheel careers. Mears’ uncle, Rick, won the Indianapolis 500 a record four times during his career.

Following family tradition, Casey Mears also has proven himself at Indy. In 2004, he set a one-lap track record of 186.293 mph during qualifying that remains intact.

Mears grew up watching his father and uncle compete in racing, and he knew he wanted to follow in their footsteps.

“I feel so lucky to have the career that I do and to be able to race these cars every weekend,” Mears said. “And to do it for a living -- that's all I wanted growing up.”

In his own six-year career, Casey Mears has earned one win, 12 top-five finishes and 40 top-10s.

Even though it’s his 200th start, Mears hopes this is one of many milestones in his career.

“The past 200 have been fun," he said. "And I hope the next 200 are even better."