Both attempts made by MBM Motorsports, now officially known as Garage 66 in the NASCAR Cup Series, to qualify for races this year have ultimately come up short.
First, Garrett Smithley was unable to get the No. 66 Ford into the preseason Cook Out Clash exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium via either his heat race or the Last Chance Qualifier.
Then Chandler Smith, who was called upon after Mike Wallace was not approved by NASCAR to compete, failed to get into the Daytona 500 via either the single-car qualifying session or the Duel at Daytona.
But with the entry list for this weekend's upcoming Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway featuring 38 cars, Garage 66 are indeed locked in for their first official start of the 2025 season.
And the No. 66 Ford is set to be driven by an unlikely veteran driver who hasn't competed in over six years.
Casey Mears has made just one start since wrapping up his career as a full-time Cup Series driver in 2016, that coming in the 2019 season-opening Daytona 500 when Germain Racing, where he competed from 2010 to 2016, added an entry for him.
But the 47-year-old Bakersfield, California native is set to return for this 400-lap race around the four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) Ridgeway, Virginia oval.
Mears has one win in 489 career Cup Series starts, that coming in the 2007 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway when he drove for Hendrick Motorsports.
The only other non-chartered (open) car on the entry list for the Cook Out 400 is the No. 50 Team AmeriVet Chevrolet. Burt Myers is set to drive the car after he also failed to qualify for the preseason Clash.
The Cook Out 400 is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 30, and it is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 from Martinsville Speedway beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV and be sure to catch all of the action from "The Paperclip".