NASCAR: Dark Horse Picks for the Daytona 500

Casey Mears

The Germain Racing No. 13 Chevrolet has been pretty stout this week at Daytona. Casey Mears piloted his Chevrolet to a strong qualifying run on Sunday afternoon, missing the second round by one one-thousandth of a second, ending up 13th. In the second Can-Am Duel Thursday night the car continued to race strong and was in contention to win when he ran out of fuel with two laps remaining.

The team reported midway through the race that they may not had gotten enough fuel in the car in the only pit stop of the race. There was concern that Mears may run out of fuel and it was visible that he was trying to save fuel while maintaining a position in the top 5. Unfortunately he ran out in turn 2 of the penultimate lap and really shook up the field. It may have been a good omen for Mears though, as a major wreck ensued on the final lap taking out major front-runners including Kenseth and Johnson.

Casey will start the 500 from the 32nd position, but do not let that affect your thinking. The No. 13 machine is a fast race car and nearly won the second Duel. Casey is no stranger to contention in the Great American Race, having finished second in the 2006 running of the event. Look for he and crew chief Bootie Barker to have a hot rod on Sunday afternoon and be in contention for a surprise victory.

Next: Landon Cassill