Not a Bust: The Defense of Casey Mears

[@tideride6828]

You’re the one person i’ve ever met who will endlessly defend this guy, can’t wait to see what you have to say

[@DavidLand91]

I just want to say that this video is god damn great and I want you to do this for other drivers.

[@whatincarnation95]

I think you just made a ton of people a Casey Mears fan.

[@LexNI]

😅😅😅

[@LexNI]

😅😅😅😅😅😅😅 об😅

[@LexNI]

ж

[@K9RacingAndStuff]

TIL Casey Mears finished ahead of Dale Jr in the 2007 points standings. Oh.

[@GaboxRox15]

This is going to sound VERY unpopular (and many will disagree with me) but I will say it anyways: In many ways, Casey Mears Cup career is very similar to Daniel Suarez. -Both Mears and Suarez were rushed to Cup (yes, Suarez was rushed to Cup. Edwards was supposed to stay in the 19 for 2017, and Suarez was supposed to stay in Xfinity for 1 more year. Edwards retired = Suarez got rushed). -Both Mears and Suarez had different crew chiefs every season -Both Mears and Suarez were treated as the 4th man on the team (scapegoat, guinea pig, get no credit when they have a good race but get burned to the ground when they get a bad finish) -Both Mears and Suarez lacked stability at some point in their careers. Mears got that stability with Germain, hopefully Coach Gibbs does not screw Suarez out of his situation at Gaunt Bros. He has the potential to turn that team into a top 20-25 team.

[@jam_plays_games]

This makes me feel bad for Suarez now. Hopefully like Casey he can at least bang out a win

[@dylbeentheplotagonistandra2811]

I feel like Suarez is finding success at Trackhouse, I can see him getting that victory

[@Kahne-yy3vq]

And now he won at trackhouse. Makes you think if Casey had been able to stay with the 13, he could have had even more success

[@JasonRamme-g9w]

Mears and Suarez were not that good in their time in the Cup Series.

[@andresverdes]

Ah, I’m glad I’m not the only Casey Mears fan out there. He was the first driver to autograph anything for me (2004 EA Sports 500, where I think he finished 8th if I recall correctly) and I’ve been a fan since. I personally think that if he didn’t have five different teams in five consecutive years (‘05-‘09) and stayed in the #41 with Jimmy Elledge, he would have, at the very least, made the Chase during his career.

[@jrpace87]

Dang Buddy. This should be on TV. I love this history shit. I may be a Kyle Busch Fan and you may be a hater, but this is thoroughly enjoying!!!!!!!! I defintely thoroughly enjoy your content

[@doorsfan48]

awesome video. I've always thought that Mears deserved better and was basically screwed at Hendrick and RCR

[@aggressivegoesaround5412]

Why was this the fastest and bestest hour of my life

[@RVGM1]

Fact check: @ 32:00 Brian Vickers did win 1 race in 2006, the fall race at Talladega (which is shown in the picture where he is turning teammate Johnson into Earnhardt Jr). He had no wins in 2005. Just trying to be helpful. :)

[@DaytonaPrototypes]

Wow, NASCAR was screwing Ganassi's guys over at Homestead a decade before they screwed Larson over🤔

[@Cramhead43]

Larson appreciates it a bit more I’d imagine now

[@Angie-Pants]

This gave me the confidence I needed to come out of the closet. I've been a fan of Casey's since his rookie year in Cup. Had he stayed in the Busch series a few more years, landed a decent ride right out of the gate instead of fucking around with Ganassi, and had some fucking consistency, things could have been very different.

[@TheRoseThatKnows]

1 cup win, 1 busch win, 3 arca wins. He had some solid Cup points finishes. Mears has always been my favorite driver. He never was able to keep the same crew chief though. That being said he was an average driver as best.

[@GraySpeedProductions]

I really enjoyed this! You did a heck of a job putting this together and really went in depth with his career. You're right, it does seem Casey had some of the worst luck. Hopefully he can run the 500 again this year.

[@RealisticFisHed]

4:29 So he used to go by CJ Mears, interesting. Either that or they just messed up his name

[@AutoRockinRacing94]

Even when he ran SST in Mexico last year, the announcers referred to him as CJ.

[@everly-shadystudios9900]

Casey James Mears

[@TheLocalLt]

His twitter handle is “CJMearsGang”

[@DavidJameson89]

I honestly think Casey's worst year equipment to performance wise was 2008, when he drove the HMS #5 (from 1997 to 2017 it really only had one awesome season which was Mark Martin's 2009; the rest of the time that car was a step behind the other HMS teams). I just say that season was Casey's worst when you consider the team still managed Chase appearances with Kyle Busch, and Terry Labonte made the Top 10 in points in 2003, even though he was nearing the end of his career.

[@Spitfire-kt3to]

You just made me a Mears fan

[@Cool200]

Ya know he will never be the biggest bust that's danica Patrick's spot

[@r_moore20]

That debris caution at Homestead in 2005 was maybe the worst of all time

[@lanesanders1530]

Ah I should've seen this coming, also nice Michael Anett shirt

[@aidandavis1959]

Man I loved Casey but every time I look at a NASCAR worst drives list he’s always on there but he’s still good to me

[@88fanforlife]

I halfway thought this would be 30 minutes of shit talking Dale Jr and 30 minutes of shit talking Richard Childress 😂😂😂 this is really great insight though on Casey’s career. Helluva job KG

[@bobdole4432]

This dude was always one of my favorites. Nice video 😎

[@unleasherquiles8319]

I just realized this video came out after my birthday 3 years ago. Thank you Kamikaze I guess for that late birthday gift?

[@stevensmall9398]

Christ 15 years of racing and pocking 51 mil. I think Casey is doing just fine. Really cool video.

[@doorsfan48]

I already commented on this but felt the need to do so again. I've been a big fan of Casey's since about 2006 when I got back into watching NASCAR after I stopped following it for a while around 2001. Anyway I can really remember early in the 2007 season especially after the win being really excited and thinking that Casey was on the verge of some decent success. Yes the first half of his season was rough but some of it was crashes that were not his fault. Then the thing with Dale Jr. happend and it was so fucking annoying as a Casey Mears fan. I mean he was clearly starting to work well with Darian Grubb and they just threw all that away. I loved the paint scheme for that 25 car to so I hated to see it go away. Still my favorite car and team of all time. Anyway I just remember being confused and frustrated as a fan when they said Casey was moving to the 5 so the 25 could disappear and Dale Jr could have the 88. Then I remember and I could be wrong but I swear that at the chase Dover race Casey was running top ten late in the race and they came over his radio and basically told him to let Jeff Gordon have his position for chase points. I remember the broadcast playing part of it and talking about it and I think Casey was like but were trying to get a top 10 in response to being told to move over for jeff. But I just remember that happening and being like so thats whats happening here ok. Then in 2008 I seem to remember Hendrick struggling as a whole early in the season and i vividly remember reading an article about those struggles that at that point in time called Casey "underrated" but that sentiment changed almost over night. As soon as it got out that Casey was being released from the 5 I just remember all these articles talking about him being a bad driver. I even remember a review of the video game Nascar 09 saying that the NASCAR games were EA sport's Casey Mears in top equipment but unable to put together a championship run. That really pissed me off it would have been far more accurate if they said the Nascar games were EA's Casey Mears because there were resources there to make something great but instead it half the effort. I'm not even going to go into what I think about the shit show at RCR. Sorry that was long and rambling but a lot of built up frustration to vent

[@keithmillerjr2825]

Just came back to this video after hearing the rumor that Casey could be coming back this year!

[@johnvandeventer8668]

Agreed. He is not a bust

[@ChaseFanNo.9]

I always find these type of videos to be very informative :)

[@jam_plays_games]

Great video Kamikaze. I think you made a lot of people Casey Mears fans with this one

[@beastmodebrandon6963]

Just a story of a man who should have been giving a real shot but never will sadly

[@whac1c]

"A bust occurs when a highly touted or highly selected athlete does not meet expectations." He was never highly touted, he never amounted to anything nor did anyone ever believe he would. You can't be a bust if there was never any hype to begin with.

[@ChrisPoindexter98]

I only read the transcript, got almost all of what you were saying, dang... KZbin actually added a new feature, and it's worth a dam without being invasive...honestly surprising. I was somewhat curious why Casey Mears was one of your go-to's all this time. I still am a little, but here I got a much better idea why. Very good. 😌👌🏻 This is a great example of many a race car driver's story-heck, maybe the story of many a competitor or even people, period. Coming oh so close, having so much potential, and getting very few chances to let it shine to its fullest.

[@wyzmotorsport664]

Can you do the same thing But with Brian Vickers or David reutimann

[@sneekibreeki8162]

People who say mears was a bust just don't know racing. Dude was never THE guy at any team. He'd get leftover equipment. Sure it was still Ganassi and Hendrick equipment but it was old equipment that had been used before. His equipment was never as good as say McMurray's, Marlin's, Gordon's, or Johnson's. Same can be said for Vickers at HMS as well. If the driver is not the focus of the team that driver will not get the "Best equipment money can buy".

[@keyboardwarrior327]

How do you know the equipment was old and bad enough that it was the cause of Mears' poor results? Why would Ganassi and Hendrick spend money to field a team that has equipment that is apparently so old that it's not competitive? Wouldn't that just make sponsors like Target and Kellogg's upset?

[@tylerbarclay9639]

No it was because he had little to no experience prior to Cup. 1 full season in Xfinity with Wayne (whatever the team was called when he drove 1 season in xfinity) doesn't make him into a star. This is why I HATE when Cup owners want to rush xfinity people to cup too early as soon as they win a championship because they will more then likely win less races and thats been proven MANY times

[@keyboardwarrior327]

@@tylerbarclay9639 Isn't that partly the fault of the Xfinity drivers though for taking a Cup seat so early in their careers? It's not like they were forced to drive Cup cars and couldn't have stayed in competitive Xfinity equipment.

[@Foxdidnothingwrong]

@@keyboardwarrior327 aside from terry the 5 car has always been a R&D car

[@keyboardwarrior327]

@@Foxdidnothingwrong Allegedly. And if we assume that's true, than we can also assume that if Casey had been as fast as Jeff, Jimmie, and Jr during testing and in the simulator, then he would have gotten the same equipment they did. Mark Martin did pretty good with the same team the year after Casey was booted out.

[@taysmegs99]

I’ve been a fan of his since 04 and still a fan. I cried win he won at Charlotte and been at many Dega races where possible wins or top 5s were taken away. Kansas also but I will ride with him where ever he goes!!

[@Cramhead43]

Great video KG! Love the effort in voiceover and editing and everything. Makes me feel for Casey and wish him the best going forward. You definitely change my opinions of him for the better.

[@Cramhead43]

48:20 that scheme is beautiful

[@thesockpuppetguy7626]

I have been turnt to a fan of the Casey Mears, for this video has been so informative. I actually remember that homestead race, but I forgot the feat itself. Damn man, this is good

[@mitchcolburn1216]

I also liked Casey. He wasn't my favorite but I liked him.

[@allbossnessme2265]

The thing you can say tho is he was the perfect driver for germain brought the equipment back safe most the times and showed plenty of flashes

[@MoltenRage41]

12:35 Daytona 500 2021: you want to see have to field in the garage now?

[@DoubleHelixReviews]

I don't think he was a bust he had some soild seasons with Ganassi and Hendrick I think he earned his spot in the field and thats why his career lasted as long as it did but I don't think he deserved spot on a top tier team after his seasons with Hendrick what defense I would give him is I'd say the same about truex in 2013 and 2014 then 2015 and so on happened so maybe mears had alot more talent then I thought and never got to show it

[@crouchb15]

51:10 AND CASEY MEARS!!!!!! OH REALLY???!!!! OH YEAAAHHHH!!!!!!

[@thecreekrat69]

Richard got carried by dale. At least he might be the best driver in his family. He’s got that lol

[@ic3man]

Casey might race the 84 with Legacy part time in 2024

[@aupaub1168]

Really good stuff

[@blakeandrews9496]

richard childress really might have the worst history of personnel decisions i’ve ever seen

[@adamrtr2774]

I think i know what the next what might be and hopefully it's a long one

[@ProLGL]

Finally a video I agree with kamikaze on! I may be a Logano fan but Casey Mears was a good driver and we can agree on that. When he was tossed from the 13 car for Ty it was upsetting. That team was his home and seeing him pushed out was disappointing to say the very least.

[@TheEpicPlayer_90]

you are right, i love mears and no one gave him a chance

[@ColeCoibiBFDIObject]

1:22 - 1:26 I relate to that on so many levels. that has happened to me so many times these days 😞 Casey Mears is a good driver that deserved to win more than 1 race but at least it was a crown jewel race the charlotte coca cola 600. He is NOT a bust but he is not a championship winning driver either. But he is a good driver who should have had a better career. guess that’s all I have to say. I believe Casey Mears deserved better in NASCAR

[@TM42]

Wow, this completely changed my view on Mears. Very Danial Suarez-like career, but Suarez ended up getting luckier. Very "streaky"? Absolutely. However, he definitely got screwed more than a few times.

[@Blueyandbingoareawesome]

14:30 Greatest deep-voice ever!

[@Cramhead43]

1:05:35 What happened? Why’d the audio cut out? Did youtube say thats a nono?

[@CDeuce152]

if you're wondering about Rick Galles. Its like Gal Less.

[@JohnnyUtah13]

Rick GAL-us ...they were a relevant team in the early to mid 90's with unser jr.

[@chaseelliott8578]

39:22 god

[@Mechaxthemaskedgamer]

Casey meats is the more modern Fertile cope and Michael waltrip a good and decent driver that was barely given a chance and was often put in the worst car of some of the top teams in all of Nascar. He's shown how good he was on multiple occasions throughout his career, but his only win at charlotte shows me what if

[@harrisonkanechandler1382]

11:52 You got it backwards. He started 21st and finished 28th.

[@AutoRockinRacing94]

I've always resonated with Mears because the first Cup race I ever saw happened to be his debut at Daytona. From there, kind of followed his career with his 0 for 36 in the top-30 category really drawing my attention. Yeah, he is pretty much a "kind of" or "just there" driver in the 2010s, but far from the worst driver on the grid. And yikes! Winless guys going for the Indy Lights title!

[@finwayproductions]

I thought I was the only Casey Mears Fan.

[@NotRowdyMan8]

I thought I was

[@Carshtime]

Casey was truly the Neville Longbottom of NASCAR minus the redemption

[@Cool200]

What about in 2018 when he started in the 75 for beard motorsports lmfao

[@keithmillerjr2825]

That was Brendan Gaughan.

[@firelight6113]

If Casey has gotten the chances he deserved he could be have a championship or at least could of been a yearly playoff driver with many more wins

[@Cramhead43]

23:15 HOLY FUCK is that Kyle Petty in the top20 in points in 2005?????

[@StephenGibson829]

I was at the 600 in 2007..

[@handsomedevil4928]

3:33 nice

[@siltstridersftw]

Richard Childress ruined Casey's career, now i have deep hatred to Richard Childress

[@NASCARFAN93100]

It's a shame Casey Mears couldn't get the breaks he deserved

[@stevenrogers9263]

I assure you you are not the only mears fan out there. The 05 Texas race was epic and should have been a win, along with the 05 Miami race he should have won. Dipshit crew chief calls taking 2 tires. I fucking HATED the Biff for years after that year. Broke a finger punching the tv because of that sob

[@Racinrasslinfan36]

The video that took years to make

[@crouchb15]

24:33 Non motorsports fans: I duuna know

[@jordantrejo]

Adapt or die Ryan Newman has been adapting Kurt Busch has been adapting Mears could not, Mears’ career died

[@marksherrill3686]

I like Casey mears

[@williamkreuser2403]

1:05, anyone know the name of the song?

[@chrisbarnett4719]

Dang Casey mears got screwed

[@footballvillan56]

I definitely think he didn’t have much of a fair shot at hendrick one year shouldn’t defy a guy I would say 2 years tho to be fair. The deal with him in the 41 was rough tho. Definitely not one of his brightest moments. I actually knew the guy who created chiefed mears when he was driving the 13 Geico Car

[@SESKE_5]

Lol damn near seems like we the only ones. Yeah he may of "sucked" or was a "bad" driver but he made it to the top what most of these people cant do showing he has talent maybe not NASCAR but he has it along with a good temper, attitude and humor

[@K9RacingAndStuff]

The 2008 Daytona 500. That and the subsequently Fontana race. Both need more attention. Casey had a pretty okay car that race. Still the worst Hendrick car off that race, but he really wasn't far off With Johnson and Gordon both eating shit, Casey was in the top 10. And then either Stewart or Burton wrecks him at turn 1 with under 10 to go and sets the tone for the entire season. And then NASCAR tried to run a wet Fontana in in which he outqualifies Jesus himself, he finds water (Fontana really shouldn't have happened in my book), he ends up upside down with Hornish on fire underneath him. I can't think of anything more emblematic for Mears' 08 season than that.

[@AutoRockinRacing94]

That and the Shane Hmiel feud for sure

[@NotRowdyMan8]

your not the only my guy look at my profile pic been a fan since 09 i seen his trailer truck back ion 2011

[@ryanmorrison3699]

Richard Childress has become an absolute clown in NASCAR. He stopped being a businessman in favor of being a good family man. Austin Dillon had one halfway decent season in 2016 and then just got lucky on a fuel mileage win at Charlotte and punting Aric Almirola at Daytona. Any other owner would’ve kicked him out of that ride after 2019 and replaced him with Paul Menard or Ryan Newman. Childress, if anything, should swap Austin and Ty around and reevaluate then.

[@crouchb15]

Casey could've been more successful in IndyCar but who knows?

[@truexfan5641]

Bruh you think you’re the only Casey Mears fan on the internet well here’s one more for you... me

[@OGSharpshooter317]

He only beat stewart because of Injury and beat Danica because Danica

[@jam_plays_games]

To be fair, Stewart ran the full season in 2015. It’s not like he missed races like in 2013 and 2014.

[@e93sports80]

32:06 2006

[@davethevtwinaddict2151]

Sadly rcr only cares about their rich kids that raced for them and there are many more teams like that Brandon Jones Erik Jones Paul Menard was a rich kid that got a chance all NASCAR is now is rich kids and their families buying their way into the sport it's not the way it used to be the only way you can get a NASCAR ride now at the top level is being rich except for Ross Chastain I cannot wait to see with that man can do and I'm so excited that he's going to be in the Daytona 500 I really hope that 77 car wins the daytona 500 I cringe when I hear Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon's name said on TV only reason why they're in that sport is because pop pop owns a team that is dying pretty soon RCR will be start and park team and I really hope Casey will be in the Daytona 500 this year sadly though Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon will probably be in this sport until they're old and gray just because they're rich kids I wish I had the opportunity when I raced Motocross when I was 16 to 18 my mom had to work her ass off to help me out but the condition was I had to work to and I cut grass while she was at work and I had to pay for half of everything that was the agreement and I did it I know that she helped me out but I was also working when I was 16 to help pay for it instead of leeching off grandparents

[@keyboardwarrior327]

Casey was certainly not the biggest bust in Nascar history, but he was still a bust nonetheless.

[@Highline_29_Designs]

Excuse me... This man makes an hour and five minute feature defending Casey's entire career, yet throws Natalie Decker under the bus as one of the top 10 worst drivers in NASCAR after ONE SEASON of NASCAR competition. Ladies and Gentleman, we have just witnessed a certified bruh moment.

[@nachoalvarez7171]

Sorry but EVERYONE said this. Also what about Joe Graf Jr then

[@CarBitGTSaxen]

I just hate calling drivers "Busts". It's not really nice imo

[@mitchcolburn1216]

Busts don't win Cup races, regardless of circumstances. Plus, in order to be a bust, you have to have beem hyped up to begin with. He never was.

[@Foxdidnothingwrong]

He’s a nascar bust sorry

[@NotRowdyMan8]

He isn’t though mears was a good driver and he had a lot of talent but he just needed a new crew with a better spotter and crew chief

[@zh2motorsports867]

Casey Mears is not a bust If anything Jamie Mac or Alex Bowman are more of Busts

[@cjthelonewolf7410]

At least Jamie won races and finished decently during his time and Bowman nearly won a bunch of races already and has won a race

[@zh2motorsports867]

@@cjthelonewolf7410 big deal

[@cjthelonewolf7410]

@@zh2motorsports867 they did better then mears that's all I'm gonna say

[@davethevtwinaddict2151]

You cannot call Alex Bowman a bust when he has a win and many second place finishes in his second year of racing and he made the chase in 2019 Alex Bowman said damn good of a race car driver and how are you going to call someone a bus when they're only like 24 years old like really dude shut the fuck up dude can run circles around your ass on a Razor scooter

[@zh2motorsports867]

@@davethevtwinaddict2151 Bowman is a Moron Who got beat in Playoffs by Bowyer