Mears and Geico Team Bounce Back with Strong Texas Run

Fort Worth, TX (April 9, 2016) - After struggling through Martinsville a week ago, Casey Mears and the Germain Racing team aimed to right the course with a strong weekend in Texas. While practice and qualifying proved frustrating, crew chief Bootie Barker and his crew set a strategy for Saturday night's race and when all was said and done, the GEICO team had a solid night and departed the Lone Star State with a 23rd place finish.

"It was a solid result; the kind of race we needed to get things going in the right direction. The pit crew was on it tonight and they did a nice job of getting me on and off of pit road quickly," Mears said. "You're going to have struggles in this sport, but this GEICO team proves time and time again how resilient they are and we always seem to rise up and bounce back whenever we're faced with challenges. I'm proud of everyone on the team and we're excited to get to Bristol next week."

Rain delayed the start of the Duck Commander 500 at Texas Motor Speedway by nearly two-hours, but when the green flag turned the field loose late Saturday night, Mears made immediate progress and began collecting positions. After qualifying 32nd, he quickly moved the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS into the 27th position before penetrating the top-25 on lap 38. Mears would run as high as 18th and the Germain Racing pit crew was efficient in their effort on pit road, routinely executing pit stops in the 11-second range.

When the dust settled after a long night of racing, Mears and the Gecko took the checkered flag in the 23rd position and were back on solid ground when they exited the garage in the early morning hours on Sunday. The Germain Racing team left the track four positions better than they did a year ago when they finished 27th.

The GEICO team will now head to Bristol, TN, for some close-quarters racing action at the World's Fastest Half-Mile.

Casey Mears and the No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet SS will hit the track at Bristol Motor Speedway for the weekend's opening practice session on Friday, April 15th, at 11:00 AM (ET). Qualifying will follow at 4:15 PM (ET).
                                                   
The Food City 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, April 17th, and it will be televised live on FOX beginning at 1:00 PM (ET). The Performance Racing Network (PRN) will carry the live radio broadcast, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.(Germain Racing)