Casey Mears is set to make his first start in the NASCAR Cup Series since the 2019 Daytona 500.
According to a Thursday announcement, Mears will join Garage 66 for the March 30 race at Martinsville Speedway. He will drive the No. 66 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, with HitchGO as his primary sponsor.
This event will mark his 490th start in the top NASCAR series. This is a key statistic, considering that Mears aims to become the 48th Cup Series driver to reach 500 starts.
"I'm happy to be back in a race car and look forward to returning to Martinsville, one of my favorite tracks," Mears said in a press release. "I appreciate Carl (Long) working with me to make it happen; he's a well-respected, great guy who's worked hard to experience longevity in the sport.
"I'm excited to have HitchGO, Mosby's Towing and Transport, and Coble Enterprises on board as we chip away at 500 NASCAR Cup Series starts."
Photo credit: Garage 66/MBM Motorsports
Mears spent 13 seasons competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. He also made 21 starts in 2010 but failed to qualify for the remaining events on the schedule.
Mears began his career with Chip Ganassi Racing and spent four seasons driving for the longtime team owner. He then moved to Hendrick Motorsports in 2007 and remained with the Concord-based team for two seasons.
Mears also drove for Richard Childress Racing (2009), Red Bull Racing (2010), Tommy Baldwin (2010), and Germain Racing (2010-16, 2019).
The most successful season of Mears's Cup career was 2007. This is the season he drove the No. 25 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports while posting a career-high five top-five finishes and 10 top-10s. Mears also won his first Cup race, the prestigious Coca-Cola 600.
The NASCAR Cup Series is not the only arena in which Mears competed. He made six starts in the ARCA Menards Series and posted three wins. He made 107 starts in what is now the Xfinity Series and won one race.
He also competed in the NTT IndyCar Series and the second-tier Indy Lights -- now Indy NXT. This time in open-wheel competition featured a win on the streets of Houston, Texas.
The veteran driver also became the first full-time NASCAR competitor to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona. He achieved this feat while driving for Chip Ganassi. His teammates were Scott Dixon and the late Dan Wheldon.
While Mears has remained away from NASCAR, he has continued to compete in major racing events. For example, he has taken on the prestigious off-road race, the Baja 1000, four times in the Trophy Truck class.
"Having Casey Mears drive a Garage 66 car is a proud day for our organization," Long said. "He's driven for NASCAR's elite, such as Chip Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, and Richard Childress Racing. Adding Garage 66 to that list means a lot to me and everyone who's helped build our team."