Mears settling in quickly with new Winston Cup ride

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It's been a whirlwind month for Casey Mears, NASCAR's newest Young Gun.

After an up-and-down rookie season in the Busch Series, the 24-year-old Mears was weighing a few new Busch offers and heading off for a trip to Europe when he got an offer he couldn't refuse: the chance to drive a Winston Cup car for one of the very best teams.

Mears agreed Dec. 5 to drive the No. 41 Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing. The next day he was off to Indianapolis for some sponsor requirements, back to Charlotte for meetings, then to Alabama last week for a two-day manufacturer test in his brand new ride.

"I think before I even realized what had happened, I was on the way to Indy for a photo shoot," Mears said. "I haven't really had a chance yet for it to sink in that, 'Hey, I am going Winston Cup racing next year with a great sponsor and a great team.' It's all pretty unbelievable."

And way ahead of schedule for Mears, the nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Rick Mears and son of off-road racing star Roger Mears.

Open-wheel background

No one doubted he had talent, but his background was in an open-wheel racing -- four years in the Indy Lights series, followed by appearances in CART and the IRL.

He spent just one season in stock cars, finishing 21st this year in the Busch Series with two Top-10 finishes. Winston Cup racing was in his future, but at least another year or two away.

But when Ganassi fired Jimmy Spencer last month, the team had to scramble for a driver and is now taking a gamble on Mears.

"We've known Casey a while, we gave him his first test in a Cup car two years ago and have had an eye on him ever since," said Ganassi team manager Andy Graves. "We think he's a promising young talent and has a work ethic to succeed at this level."

The Ganassi team has gambled before. Earlier this year, it tabbed then-unknown Jamie McMurray to drive a Cup car even though he'd never even won in the Busch series.

The hiring of McMurray turned out to be brilliant -- he set a NASCAR record by winning in his second start as an injury replacement for Sterling Marlin and followed it up with consecutive Busch Series wins.

But McMurray's quick success could raise the level of expectations for Mears, making his jump a risky career move.

Ganassi is well-known for demanding results and having very little patience for on-track struggles. He fired Jason Leffler after his rookie season for not producing, and Spencer, a veteran, also lasted just one season.

Mears, whose father worked at one time for Ganassi's Cup operation and once discussed becoming a developmental driver for the car owner, wasn't deterred.

"You only get so many opportunities in a lifetime, some people get two or three, but some only get one and this is one that you have to take," Mears said. "There was some contemplation -- 'Is this the right time? Is this the right team?' But at the end of the day, it was the right decision."

Now he's hopeful he'll have a steep learning curve, which started this month with the Dodge test at Talladega. It will take him time to catch up to his teammates -- Marlin ran the fastest laps in the test session and McMurray, with six Winston Cup races under his belt, was right behind him.

Experienced tutors

But Mears is confident he can catch up under the watchful eye of Graves and new crew chief Jimmy Elledge.

"In a perfect world, you would get a good couple of years of Busch under your belt, but a good driver is a good driver if you get the right people behind you," Mears said. "All the people at Ganassi, with their experience and depth, it raises my level just being around them.

"And everybody realizes what they are taking on here. Everybody wants results ... but they are being realistic because this is somewhat of a big step for me."

His addition to Ganassi gives the team two young drivers to groom as they aid Marlin in his quest for a Winston Cup championship.

It also gives the team an unprecedented two candidates for Rookie of the Year, an award that's taken on greater meaning since Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman put together a string of successful first seasons.

And after the stirring battle between Newman and Jimmie Johnson last season for the title, Mears and McMurray will be expected to follow.

"It's the first time a car owner has had two drivers battling for top rookie and we think it's going to be pretty exciting," Graves said. "Hopefully we'll have the type of year we think we are going to and Jamie and Casey will finish 1-2 in the voting."