That Loving Feeling is Alive and Well
Casey Mears Looks to Pull Off an Upset at Talladega with a Reignited Passion for Superspeedway Racing
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. (Oct. 21, 2026) – It’s highly unlikely that stock car racing is what vocal duo the Righteous Brothers had in mind when they recorded the popular sing-a-long “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” back in 1964. Love, however is very much at the heart of racecar drivers and their craft. Speed, drafting, and side-by-side competition combine to create the intoxicating passion that drives racers.
That affection often times gets tested when it comes to superspeedway races like Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Talladega and its sister track, Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, challenges the affection of drivers who may look at superspeedway racing as a necessary evil and with a sense of dread.
That dichotomy of emotion is something with which Casey Mears can empathize, the driver of the No. 62 The Gracie Foundation Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports once again this weekend having had his own share of highs and lows in the races he’s run at the superspeedways.
“I have kind of really felt all of the above,” Mears explained with regard to his outlook on racing at Talladega through the years. “The thing is that, when you go to a superspeedway, there is a chance for a really good day. At the same time, it can go in completely the opposite direction. At different points in my career when I was racing fulltime, I had great seasons where we had fast cars at a lot of different tracks. That’s when I probably was less excited to go to the superspeedways just knowing there was an opportunity to get caught up in something that was really not of your doing. We knew there was a chance we could have a big points killer if we got caught up in a crash, so you kind of dreaded that part of superspeedway racing.”
Learning the ins and outs of superspeedway racing during the early stages of his career and applying those insights to his craft in later years, Mears developed a healthy respect and admiration for the opportunities that exist at Talladega and Daytona.
“As long as you’re not in a crash, you’re typically in position to have a really good result,” Mears said. “When I was younger and new to the races at Talladega and Daytona, I just sort of stayed in the draft, learning when to use the side draft, feeling the air coming into the window relative to other cars, and picking up those hints of what is going on around you. You start to appreciate the art of it and how to do well at a superspeedway. The more you do it, the more you realize there’s a technique to the draft and you start to appreciate the art of it, how to manipulate it to do well at those tracks.”
Being back behind the wheel for a limited schedule in 2026 as he closes in on his milestone 500th career Cup Series start, Mears understands the opportunity that exists when racing at Talladega and Daytona. He notes that the opportunity is even greater when driving the No. 62 Beard Chevrolet for an organization that has placed an emphasis on its superspeedway program.
Mears experienced first-hand the benefit of Beard’s program in August during the Coke Zero Sugar 400, when he raced among the top-five in the early going, leaving him with an unexpected level of comfort being in position to contend for a win.
“I have known that Beard Motorsports has always had a good car at the superspeedway tracks and I knew that in the past I have taken cars that have not been great and been able to run inside the top-10 or so at a superspeedway,” said Mears, who’ll be making his 499th career Cup Series start Sunday. “Obviously, this was a different story. This car was good and it had speed. It felt good to be up there. I wasn’t surprised by the speed in the No. 62 Chevy by any means but was a little surprised at how comfortable I was and how natural it felt. Every time I feel like something is going to be a little bit surprising, you realize you have done it for a lot of years. It had just been a while. I wasn’t surprised at the speed of the car but maybe a little as to how comfortable I was to be up there mixing it up again.”
Now Mears looks to tackle the challenge presented by Talladega at least one more time in what he knows could be one of his final trips to NASCAR’s biggest superspeedway.
“We are definitely optimistic about going to Talladega because we have a legitimate shot of pulling off a good result, if not a win,” Mears said. “You’ve seen it in the past. There are a lot of guys who have won at Talladega and Daytona that you never would have expected because of all the variables that come into play at those races. It’s exciting for me. I may be looking at the last two races that I might ever do. I’m going to a track where I have the opportunity to potentially pull off a major upset and I’m excited about going back.”
No. 62 Beard Motorsports Team Roster
Primary Team Members
Driver: Casey Mears
Hometown: Bakersfield, California
Crew Chief: Darren Shaw
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina
Car Chief: Drew Mickey
Hometown: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Spotter: Rick Carelli
Hometown: Arvada, Colorado
President: Linda Beard
Hometown: Mt. Pleasant, Michigan
Over-The-Wall Members
Front Tire Changer: Shiloh Windsor
Hometown: Ada, Oklahoma
Rear Tire Changer: Michael Russell
Hometown: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Tire Carrier: Lamar Neal
Hometown: Halifax, Virginia
Jack Man: De’Quan Hampton
Hometown: Los Angeles
Fuel Man: Douglas Warrick
Hometown: Hamilton, New Jersey
Road Crew Members
Mechanic: Jack Gagnon
Hometown: Quebec, Canada
Mechanic: Mark Sanders
Hometown: Springfield, Ohio
Tire Technician: Mike Harrold
Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina
Engine Tuner: Brian Trevino
Hometown: Statesville, North Carolina
Interior Specialist: Nic Hill
Hometown: Fort Myers, Florida
Engineer: Mack Kanupp
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Transporter Driver: Roger Lankford
Hometown: Lexington, North Carolina
