Casey Mears is approaching yet another milestone, and one that some would say seemed unlikely after his full-time NASCAR Cup Series ended abruptly. When the 48-year-old is in the lineup at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 8, he will make a historic 500th Cup start, returning to a track that played an unexpected role in getting him there.
Mears will be behind the wheel of the No. 62 The Gracie Foundation Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports in the season finale. The start completes a five-race schedule, with the family-owned team giving him a head start to a number he dreamed about for years. He will become the 50th driver in Cup Series history to notch 500 starts. But the milestone hasn’t come as fast as he’d hoped. It’s taken patience.
Mears competed full-time in the Cup Series for 14 consecutive seasons, stretching from 2003 to 2016, for 488 starts. He then made the difficult decision to step away from regular competition after 2016; he made occasional appearances, including a return to the 2019 Daytona 500. His 2026 schedule with Beard brought him back for five races starting at Talladega in April and continuing through Indianapolis, Daytona, and the Autumn Talladega event. He won his lone Cup race in 2007 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600.
However, Homestead-Miami is more than just a place where the count reaches 500. Mears made his first NASCAR national-series start at the track in 2001 for Cicci-Welliver Racing in what was the Busch Series. He expected to sample stock-car racing before returning to IndyCar. Instead, that opportunity led to a NASCAR career with Chip Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, and Germain Racing. Mears has not competed at Homestead in the Cup Series since his full-time days, and the track has changed since his first visit.
Progressive banking was introduced in 2003, creating a different challenge from the flatter layout he remembers. Beard Motorsports has traditionally focused on superspeedway events, so the 1.5-mile oval will require a much different setup. Even so, Mears believes the team has shown encouraging speed this season. Crew chief Darren Shaw began preparing the Homestead Car months ago, while Friday practice will give the No. 62 team time to make adjustments, evaluate tire wear, and find the right balance.
Mears has credited longtime friend Bob Germain with helping make the 500-start goal possible. Germain’s support and the opportunity from Beard Motorsports have made the milestone a shared effort. The Gracie Foundation sponsorship also connects to Germain’s late wife, Gail, and its work supporting women undergoing cancer treatment. The driver has kept his expectations measured. Staying on the lead lap and finishing inside the top 25 would be a strong result for an independent team making its first Homestead start.
Yet he hasn’t lost sight of the occasion. He said he is grateful to be racing again and doesn’t assume this will be his final Cup appearance. A quarter-century after Homestead opened the door, Mears returns with 499 starts behind him and one more to go. And yet, the number is only part of Sunday’s significance. He gets another opportunity to compete at the highest level of stock car racing, something he has learned not to take for granted.
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