Mears signs five-race deal with Beard Motorsports as pursuit of 500 start milestone continues

Casey Mears will continue his chase of 500 career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series with a five-race slate driving for Beard Motorsports.

Mears will pilot the No. 62 Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway (April 26), Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 26), Daytona International Speedway (August 29), the fall Talladega event (October 25), and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway (November 8). The team will need to qualify its way into each event.

The finale, should Mears make all five races, would be his 500th start. Mears is currently at 495 starts after making the season-opening Daytona 500 driving for Carl Long.

“Partnering with Beard Motorsports, a team founded by the late Mark Beard Sr., and operated by his wife and daughter, means a lot to me,” Mears said. “We have a feel-good story that connects with race fans. One thing I’ve learned during the last year is how much I still love racing and competing. I’m incredibly appreciative of Bob Germain and his continued support as I close in on 500 Cup starts. His generosity is moving and I’m thankful for his friendship.

“I’ve watched Beard Motorsports race over the years, and it’s a team that doesn’t just show up for superspeedway races – they make races and are competitive. As a racer, that’s really appealing.”

Mears will have sponsorship from long-time partners, including the Gracie Foundation. The foundation was inspired by Gail ‘Gracie’ Germain, the late wife of former team owner Bob Germain. Mears drove for Germain, and the latter continues to support his effort to reach 500 starts. 

“We’re thrilled with the opportunity to partner with Casey Mears for these five races in 2026,” said Beard Motorsports executive vice president Amie Beard-Deja. “It has been well documented that Beard Motorsports is a passion project for my family, and we’ve been committed to carrying on what my dad started. To take the No. 62 Chevrolet to new venues is beyond anything we could’ve imagined when we started in 2017.

“After hearing about Casey’s desire to get to his 500th Cup Series start, we started talking. His experience in the NASCAR Cup Series and at the tracks we’ll visit with him this year makes us very excited for the rest of the season.”

Beard Motorsports had traditionally entered superspeedway events at Daytona, Talladega, and EchoPark Speedway. Of the 34 starts that the single-car team has made, only four have not been at those racetracks.