NASCAR Veteran Adds Another Race to Limited 2026 Schedule

What’s Happening?

NASCAR Cup Series veteran Casey Mears is adding another race to his 2026 schedule as he continues his pursuit of a milestone start.

• Earlier this season, Mears announced he had signed a part-time deal with Beard Motorsports. Initially, this deal was for five races, with the ultimate goal being to get the veteran driver to 700 career Cup Series starts.
• Unfortunately, this plan fell through with the team and drivers’ first scheduled outing. Mears failed to make the field for this month’s race at Talladega Superspeedway as the open cars for the race’s field were set on owners’ points, of which the No. 62 had none.
• To mend this gap, Mears and Beard have added a sixth entry to their deal. The 48-year-old will now attempt the upcoming June 14 race at Pocono Raceway.
• If Mears makes the race at Pocono, this will mark his career start 696. After that, the July 26 race at Indianapolis, the August 29 race at Daytona, the October 25 race at Talladega, and finally the season finale at Homestead-Miami, will hopefully push Mears over the 700 mark.

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