A week ago in Phoenix, Casey Mears and Biagi-DenBeste Racing were fast all weekend and turned in a solid result, scoring an 11th place finish in the Ticket Galaxy 200. When they arrived in Miami for the NASCAR Xfinity Series season finale, the group aimed to duplicate their effort by putting Mears and his No. 98 GEICO Military Ford Mustang at the front of the field. Their aim was true and they would find themselves near the top of the board during most of Saturday’s 300-mile event.
Mears and the No. 98 GEICO Military Ford were quick off of the truck when they took to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the year’s final two practice sessions on Friday. Mears was 16th on the board in the weekend’s opening practice before shooting up the scoring chart to sixth fastest in the final
session. The speedy GEICO driver continued his fast ways during qualifying on Saturday when he wheeled around the 1.5-mile oval in just 33.263-seconds, at a speed of 162.343-miles per hour, landing him 12th on Ford EcoBoost 300 starting grid.
When the green flag signaled the start of the final Xfinity race of the season, Mears rolled off of the starting grid from the 12th position, but promptly began passing cars. He pedaled the GEICO Military Ford into the top-10 in the opening few laps and appeared to have what he referred to as a ‘rocket-ship’. The 16-year veteran was strong throughout the first half of the race and as the event approached the mid-way point, Mears was running in the 10th position and turning top-five lap times.
The Biagi-DenBeste Racing pit crew was expedient on pit road, turning in quick stops during the course of the race and always leaving Mears and the GEICO Military Ford in contention after returning him to the racing surface. When the checkered flag waved under the night sky, Mears crossed the finish line in the 11th position, closing out the season on a strong note and capping off a fun year that saw him record multiple top-10’s in his return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
“I had a lot of fun out there in the GEICO Military Ford. It was a rocket-ship and if we could’ve gotten a caution there near the end, we would’ve definitely been top-10 and maybe top-5,” Mears said. “The car was really good on short runs and it was great to have speed to pass and be able to run up front today like we did last week in Phoenix. These Biagi-DenBeste guys have done a nice job and I’m glad we were able to finish the season on a good note. I can’t thank GEICO enough for their loyal support, and Fred Biagi and Bill DenBeste for the opportunity to drive this 98 car.”
PMI PR
