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NASCAR Veteran Signs With New Team in Hopes Of Starting 500 Career Races

Kauy Ostlien

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NASCAR Cup Series veteran Casey Mears has signed a part-time deal to enter a gauntlet of races with part-time Beard Motorsports in hopes of achieving his 500th NASCAR Cup Series career start.

NEWS: Beard Motorsports is excited to share that #NASCAR veteran @CJMearsGang will drive the #62 Cup Series Chevrolet for five races in 2026 beginning with the April 26 #JackLinks500 at @TALLADEGA. pic.twitter.com/PZcf7GjMfE
— Beard Motorsports (@BeardOil62) March 31, 2026

The second-generation driver and member of the famed Mears Gang will enter five total races in the No. 62. His schedule includes both races at Talladega Superspeedway, the summer races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway, and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Mears began this journey to 500 last season, returning to the sport for the first time in nearly a decade with Carl Long’s Garage 66 team. With those four starts, Mears got to career start No. 494, adding start No. 495 earlier this season after an underdog qualification for the Daytona 500.
Though this is not a lofty goal, as he has no set plan for a specific finishing position, Mears does face a challenge in these races. Beard is one of a handful of part-time NASCAR Cup Series teams that do not have a charter and are therefore not granted an automatic starting spot and races, meaning he will have to qualify within the top 40 for all of these races.
Mears made his switch to NASCAR from IndyCar and CART in 2003. In 17 seasons, racing with teams like Chip Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, and Germain Racing, he has one career win, 13 top fives, and 51 top tens.

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 15: BJ McLeod, driver of the #78 Superior Logistics Chevrolet, walks the red carpet prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2026 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

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NASCAR Veteran Signs With New Team in Hopes Of Starting 500 Career Races

Kauy Ostlien

Join the Conversation

What’s Happening?

Every Confirmed Part-Time Team Competing in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2026 (So Far)

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