TOP-25 FOR MEARS IN SMOKEY YUNICK PAINT SCHEME AT DARLINGTON

Player Management International Media Release

DARLINGTON, S.C. (September 4, 2016) – After last season’s inaugural Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway, the entire NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage circled the Southern 500 on their 2016 calendar. Retro paint schemes honoring the legends of the sport, authentic uniforms paying tribute to those who first turned wrenches in the garage and the retired drivers themselves coming to be a part of the special festivities all set the stage for a memorable marquee event under the lights at the track dubbed ‘Too Tough to Tame’. Sunday’s atmosphere was at all time high as Casey Mears and the No. 13 GEICO Racing team sported the black and gold colors first driven by the late Smokey Yunick.

As Hurricane Hermine worked its way up the east coast and covered South Carolina with strong winds and heavy rain, NASCAR was forced to cancel all track activity on Friday. This resulted in the starting order being set by the owners point standings, placing Mears in the 28th position at the start of the 367-lap race. Clear skies and sunshine came behind the storm allowing beautiful weather to grace the track as the green flag flew shortly after 6PM, Sunday evening.

Just a short seven laps into the 500-mile event, Mears reported of a tight handling condition plaguing the GEICO Chevrolet. Despite Darlington Raceway being known for wreaking havoc on tires and drivers alike, the field stayed caution-free for the first 95 laps, forcing two rounds of green flag pit stops to take place. The Germain Racing pit crew acted quickly and knocked off two low 12-second stops, allowing Mears to gain position on the track.

The “plowing” tightness continued to hinder the performance of the No. 13 machine throughout the entire race, but crew chief Bootie Barker and the GEICO team remained persistent in trying to remedy the issue by using strategic moves on pit road to regain laps when wavearounds were available. With 100 circuits remaining, Mears found himself in the 27th position, knocking on the door for a top-25 finish. The veteran driver was able to stay out of harms way as a slew of cautions slowed the pace down the stretch and when the checkered flag flew, Mears crossed the finish line in the 25th position.

“We were just a little too far off in the beginning which put us behind for the majority of the race tonight,” said Mears. “It was extremely special to not only drive this special No. 13 paint scheme but to have Smokey Yunick’s family here at the track with us. The throwback weekend at Darlington has quickly become a highlight on the schedule and I’m honored to have had the opportunity to drive this car. GEICO is a tremendous partner and we thank them for allowing us to do this to honor Smokey.”

The Sprint Cup Series now heads to Richmond, Virginia for short track racing under the lights. Mears and the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS will hit the track at Richmond International Raceway on Friday, September 9th for opening practice at 10AM ET. Qualifying follows at 5:45PM ET.

The Federated Auto Parts 400 will take place on Saturday, September 10th, with NBC Sports carrying live television coverage beginning at 7:30PM ET. The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio channel 90 will carry the live radio broadcast.

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

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

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

LATE PUSH RESULTS IN 22ND PLACE FINISH FOR MEARS AT MICHIGAN

Player Management International Media Release

Brooklyn, MI (August 28, 2016) – This weekend, Casey Mears and the Germain Racing team returned to Michigan International Speedway. They had high aspirations of making up for the lost opportunities during their June visit after a damaged rear gear cooler left them sidelined for part of the FireKeepers Casino 400.

For this weekend’s Pure Michigan 400, the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS would be sporting the experimental aerodynamic package, which, once again, reduced downforce for the entire field. After qualifying 28th on Friday, the team made the necessary corrections in the two subsequent practices, before being rained out early during Happy Hour.

Once the green flag waved on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, Mears took advantage of his finely tuned No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS and gained six positions on the first two laps and landed in 22nd place. Soon after, Mears encountered handling issues in the corners that he would fight hard to overcome. Crew chief Bootie Barker advised him throughout the race to keep digging and to do what he could.  Mears obliged, as he continued to pedal hard around the two-mile oval.

With long green flag runs occurring throughout the race, the veteran handled the car equipped with less down force as best as he could. “The biggest thing we fought was being really loose in, and then tight in the center, landing,” Mears said after the race. “We just had a hard time getting the loose-in situation dialed in. It seemed like if I got it in, it would be really tight in the center, so we had to compromise a little too much.”

The Germain Racing team never gave up, making effective adjustments to the GEICO Chevy as the race wound down. This allowed Mears to make a late push, gaining three positions over the final 25 laps of the 200-lap event to cross the finish line in 22nd place. “It seemed like everything on pit road went pretty well today. Overall, it was a solid day; we just needed a little more speed,” Mears added.

The next stop for Casey Mears and Germain Racing will be the Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. This race will feature the much-anticipated special throwback paint schemes that fans have been looking forward to since the Sprint Cup Series departed the track a year ago. Mears is excited to be sporting the famed Smokey Yunick paint scheme. The race is on Sunday, September 4, 2016, and will be televised live on NBC at 6:00 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 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

DESPITE VIBRATION, MEARS ESCAPES BRISTOL WITH TOP-25 FINISH 

Player Management International Media Release

BRISTOL, Tenn. (August 21, 2016) – Bristol Motor Speedway is always known for intense short track racing, but this weekend’s race at the World’s Fastest Half Mile had another factor to deal with – Mother Nature. Not only did rain delay the green flag on Saturday night, weather postponed the majority of the event until Sunday afternoon. Once the 500-mile race returned to action under blue skies, Casey Mears and the GEICO Racing team fought an ill-handling Chevrolet. But despite these conditions, the team showed tremendous perseverance to bring home a 25th-place finish.

“It was a long couple of days with the rain,” said Mears after the race. “I’m proud of the GEICO Racing team for sticking with it and working to get the car better over the course of the race though. Unfortunately, we had a tire vibration there, which put us behind for the second half of the race when our car was much better. We just have to keep working and improving each week as a team.”

After a heavy rain shower postponed the start of the NRA Bass Pro Shops 500 to 9PM on Saturday evening, Mears strapped into the GEICO machine and rolled off from the 21st starting position. Quickly the veteran driver reported the front end of the No. 13 Chevrolet was hitting the racetrack. Unfortunately, after a short 48-laps, rain returned to the concrete oval and postponed the remaining 452 circuits until Sunday afternoon at 1PM.

With a case of deja vu, rain continued to plague the Tennessee short track and once again postponed the start time on Sunday afternoon. Once the showers passed through the mountains, racing action was able to resume, shortly after 4:45PM. As the competition caution waved on lap 85, Mears radioed the car was “loose in, loose off and tight in the center” while running in the 30th position.

Misfortune struck on lap 216 as Mears was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop for a tire vibration. After providing the GEICO Chevrolet with four fresh tires and fuel under green flag conditions, Mears returned to the track in the 35th position, four laps down. The team continued to fight to improve the handling for Mears and by lap 358, their efforts prevailed as the California native said his car was much better. With 100 laps remaining, Mears returned to the top-25 despite a “sideways loose” handling condition. Mears continued to hold the 25th position, which is where the GEICO Chevrolet crossed the finish line.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will return to racing action at Michigan International Speedway for the Pure Michigan 400 on Sunday, August 28th. The green flag will wave shortly after 2:00 p.m. ET and NBC Sports Network will carry live television coverage. The Motor Radio Network (MRN) and Sirius XM Satellite Radio, channel 90 will also provide live radio analysis of the 400-mile event.

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.