MEARS & GEICO TEAM FINISH STRONG AT SEASON FINALE IN HOMESTEAD

Player Management International Media Release

Homestead, FL (November 20, 2016) – Germain Racing has taken the month of November by the horns.  After having a fast car at Texas Motor Speedway, Casey Mears and company went to Phoenix and collected a top-20 result after finishing 18th.  With just a single race remaining on the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, the GEICO team looked to continue turning around an otherwise challenging season when they pulled into Homestead-Miami Speedway and hit the track on Friday.

In the final qualifying session of the season on Friday, Mears advanced to the second round and notched a 23rd place starting position.  He wheeled the GEICO Chevy around the 1.5-mile oval in just 30.862-seconds, at a speed of 174.972-miles per hour.

Starting 23rd, Mears almost immediately encountered a brake issue when the green flag turned the field loose for the final time in 2016.  He dropped nine positions in as many laps and struggled to maintain control of his GEICO Chevy.  The Germain Racing crew took advantage of the pit stops throughout the race and made the necessary changes.  Mears quickly charged forward, gathering lost positions before landing in the top-20 on lap 140.

With the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship on the line, business would pick up quickly as the race wound down.  On lap 258 of a scheduled 267, Carl Edwards and Joey Logano got together, causing a crash that blanketed a large portion of the racing surface.  A quick-thinking Mears dashed down to pit lane and narrowly avoided near certain-peril, sparing his No. 13 GEICO Chevy and leaving him in position to score a solid finish.

The race would ultimately be settled in overtime and Mears would record an 18th place finish when the checkered flag brought a busy night of racing to a halt.  The result was Mears’ second top-20 in two weeks.

“We’ve had a really tough year, so it’s nice to be able to somewhat turn it around and have three good weeks of racing,” Mears said.  “The GEICO Chevy was tough at first tonight, but the crew was able to make some changes, which allowed us to get going and make up a lot of lost ground.  It’s good to get a solid finish as we head into the off-season.  I appreciate the support of GEICO, Duracell and all of our partners; and I appreciate Bob Germain and his commitment to the team.”

Germain Racing will enjoy a winter break before returning to action in Daytona.

The Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, February 26, 2017, and it will be televised live on FOX beginning at 2:00 PM (ET).  The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Please visit www.GEICO.com to learn about how you can save money on more than just auto insurance.

To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.caseymearsracing.com

You can also follow GEICO Racing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/geicoracing

To learn more about Duracell, please visit: www.duracell.com

To learn more about Germain Racing, please visit: www.germainracing.com

MEARS CAPS OFF VETERANS DAY WEEKEND WITH 18TH PLACE FINISH AT PHOENIX

Player Management International Media Release

Avondale, AZ (November 13, 2016) – After a melted master switch left Germain Racing with a 35th place finish during their March visit to Phoenix International Raceway, the team sought redemption when they unloaded Casey Mears’ No. 13 Chevrolet SS for practice on Friday.  With only two races remaining on the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, they were focused on finishing the season in strong fashion.  In celebration of Veterans Day weekend, Mears sported the ever-popular GEICO Military paint scheme.

While Mears finished up the opening practice session 27th on the speed chart, qualifying favored the Bakersfield, CA, native when he advanced to the second round and landed the GEICO Military Chevy 22nd on Sunday’s starting grid.  He navigated the one-mile facility in just 26.064-seconds, at a speed of 138.122-miles per hour.

Bright sunshine and reasonable temperatures welcomed the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to the track on race day.  Mears and his GEICO Military Chevy began their journey from the 22nd position, but looked to begin making progress when the green flag turned the field loose.  He made initial progress before he was faced with an ill-handling car that caused him to drop to 25th on the scoring tower.  Crew Chief Bootie Barker and the Germain Racing pit crew worked feverishly throughout the afternoon to make helpful adjustments.  Their efforts would pay off as the race wore on.  Mears and his No. 13 GEICO Military Chevrolet began recovering lost real estate and rejoined the lead lap before surviving overtime and scoring a solid 18th place finish.

During Veterans Day weekend, where GEICO honored the military with their fan favorite GEICO Military paint scheme, Mears and Germain Racing turned in a strong top-20 performance that leaves the organization poised for a successful trip to Homestead next week.

“Today was a solid day and the GEICO Military Chevy was pretty strong,” Mears said.  “If we would’ve gotten a caution and got back on the lead lap earlier, I think we could’ve finished in the top-15.  But, we will take the 18th because it was a solid day and we worked hard to get the car where it needed to be and the work paid off.”  He continued, “It was great to have a strong run during Veterans Day weekend with the GEICO Military paint scheme on the car.  We are so thankful for our military and all they do to ensure our freedom and keep us safe.  I am proud to drive for sponsors like GEICO and Duracell who so passionately recognize and support our service members.”

Germain Racing will now pack up the No. 13 entry and head to south Florida to do battle in the final event of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Mears and the #13 GEICO Chevrolet SS will hit the track at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the weekend’s opening practice session on Friday, November 18th, at 12:30 PM (ET).  Qualifying will follow at 6:15 PM (ET).

The Ford EcoBoost 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, November 20th, and it will be televised live on NBC beginning at 2:30 PM (ET).  The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.

Please visit www.GEICO.com to learn about how you can save money on more than just auto insurance.

To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.caseymearsracing.com

You can also follow GEICO Racing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/geicoracing

To learn more about Duracell, please visit: www.duracell.com

To learn more about Germain Racing, please visit: www.germainracing.com

FAST-PACED MEARS SLOWED BY LATE-RACE CRASH AT TEXAS

Player Management International Media Release

Fort Worth, TX (November 6, 2016) – With just three races remaining on the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, Casey Mears and Germain Racing blew into the Lone Star State looking to finish strong as the season continues to wind down.  The weekend started off as planned, with Mears hustling around Texas Motor Speedway at a blistering pace, turning in fast speeds in both practice and qualifying.

When practice got underway on Friday, an expeditious Mears zipped around the 1.5-mile oval quick enough to place his No. 13 GEICO Military Chevrolet SS 10th on the speed chart when the session came to a close.  He continued turning heads when Sprint Cup Series qualifying got underway on Friday evening.  The speedy veteran traveled around the north Texas facility in a prompt 28.238-seconds, at a speed of 191.232-miles per hour, advancing to the second round and landing his GEICO Military Chevy 13th on Sunday’s starting grid.

Before Sunday’s race would see a green flag, it would first be forced to endure a six-hour rain delay that turned the afternoon event into a night race.  When things got started under dark skies and bright lights, Mears and his No. 13 GEICO Military Chevy set sail from the 13th position.  With rain moving toward the Fort Worth area, teams were uncertain if they would see the completion of the full 334-laps/501-miles.

While Mears made immediate progress, his GEICO Military Chevy became tight, which left him at odds with his racecar.  The Germain Racing pit crew would later make adjustments that freed up the car and allowed Mears to regain speed and begin gathering up lost real estate.

Unfortunately, misfortune would strike with just 71 laps left in the advertised distance.  Kevin Harvick made contact with the No. 3 car of Austin Dillon, causing a chain reaction that saw the No. 44 car of Brian Scott slam into the rear of Mears’ GEICO Military Chevrolet SS, sending him hard into the grass.  The contact with the infield grass caused the destruction of the frontend of Mears No. 13 machine and forced him to the garage where he would remain for the balance of the evening.  When rain ultimately halted the racing action 293 laps into the scheduled 334, Mears was credited with a 39th place finish.

“The GEICO Military Chevy was pretty fast all weekend, but we got really tight there at the beginning of the race, which set us back quite a bit,” Mears said.  “We were able to get it freed up and were fast from time to time.  I thought we were going to be able to get a solid finish, but when the 4 (Harvick) and 3 (A. Dillon) got together, everyone checked up and I got drilled by the 44 car (Scott).  It was a tough way to end the weekend, but it was great to run the GEICO Military paint scheme and also have Duracell Military on our decklid and pay tribute to our service members as we head into Veteran’s Day weekend at Phoenix.”

Mears and Germain Racing will now head west to Phoenix, Arizona, for race number 34 of 36 of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.

Casey Mears and the No. 13 GEICO Military Chevrolet SS will hit the track at Phoenix International Raceway for the weekend’s opening practice session on Friday, November 11th, at 1:30 PM (ET).  Qualifying will follow at 6:45 PM (ET).

The Can-Am 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, November 13th, and it will be televised live on NBC beginning at 2:30 PM (ET).  The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Please visit www.GEICO.com to learn how you could save money on more than just auto insurance.

To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.caseymearsracing.com

You can also follow GEICO Racing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/geicoracing

To learn more about Duracell, please visit: www.duracell.com

To learn more about Germain Racing, please visit: www.germainracing.com