The 43 Days of Daytona - 22nd Place in 2005
Over the 43 days leading up to the Daytona 500, I'll be doing a short review/preview of the Top 43 Drivers of 2005.
----------------
Casey Mears
#42 - Havoline / Texaco
Casey ran the entire season in the #41 Target Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing. He had 3 Top 5's, 9 Top 10's, no poles, and no wins. His winnings totaled $4,234,170.
Casey Mears seems like a nice guy in all the interviews you hear him do. His 2005 season was decent compared to other drivers, but there is this feeling that if Ganassi hadn't already planned on parting company with Sterling Marlin and been surprised by Jamie McMurray jumping ship and going to Roush, that Casey would have been looking for a ride this season.
Instead he finds himself in the #42 Havoline/Texaco Dodge vacated by McMurray. His #42 Target Dodge become Reed Sorrenson's, with David Stremme landing in Marlin's #40 Coors Light Dodge. This is a hell of a youth movement by Ganassi considering this makes Mears the veteran on the team.
Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes.
Do I think he could go win a championship? No, with all the changes this heralds rebuilding year for Ganassi...and whether Casey Mears will still be driving for Ganassi when the rebuild is over is up in the air and likely to remain so for the entire season.
Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? No. See previous answer.
----------------
Casey Mears
#42 - Havoline / Texaco
Casey ran the entire season in the #41 Target Dodge for Chip Ganassi Racing. He had 3 Top 5's, 9 Top 10's, no poles, and no wins. His winnings totaled $4,234,170.
Casey Mears seems like a nice guy in all the interviews you hear him do. His 2005 season was decent compared to other drivers, but there is this feeling that if Ganassi hadn't already planned on parting company with Sterling Marlin and been surprised by Jamie McMurray jumping ship and going to Roush, that Casey would have been looking for a ride this season.
Instead he finds himself in the #42 Havoline/Texaco Dodge vacated by McMurray. His #42 Target Dodge become Reed Sorrenson's, with David Stremme landing in Marlin's #40 Coors Light Dodge. This is a hell of a youth movement by Ganassi considering this makes Mears the veteran on the team.
Will sponsorship be big enough to allow the team to field a car every week? Yes.
Do I think he could go win a championship? No, with all the changes this heralds rebuilding year for Ganassi...and whether Casey Mears will still be driving for Ganassi when the rebuild is over is up in the air and likely to remain so for the entire season.
Do I think he could win a race or two and have a good season? No. See previous answer.
posted by Mark "Puff" Anderson | 2:56 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home