With Dale Jr. lurking, Mears picked a good time for his first victory

The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS - Casey Mears got what many athletes and coaches fear: a vote of confidence from the boss.

When asked about the possibility of signing Dale Earnhardt Jr. _ the biggest free agent in the sport _ to drive for the team next season, Mears' owner, Rick Hendrick, said his racing stable was full.

"There's no room at the inn," Hendrick said last week.

But isn't that like Tom Hicks saying the Rangers' troubles last season weren't all Buck Showalter's fault less than a month before the manager was fired?

After all, Mears was winless in 4{ Nextel Cup seasons, and he was 35th in the standings. He must have felt some added pressure as soon as Earnhardt declared he was looking for another team.

The most popular driver in the sport wants to win a championship. And Hendrick Motorsports won last year's Nextel Cup with Jimmie Johnson and has dominated the 2007 season. Questions were sure to be asked.

So Mears did the only thing he could to make Hendrick's words really matter: win.

Sure, Mears inherited the lead in Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 when Tony Stewart had to pit to get more fuel, but this wasn't a fluke. Mears ran up front for most of the race. He just didn't have as much as Stewart to lose, so he gambled that his car could make it to the finish line before his fuel ran out.

"I never got in this sport to run fifth," Mears said after the race. "I always wanted to win. So there's always been that pressure there."

Mears desperately needed this victory. And to get it in the National Guard car on Memorial Day weekend, the holiday that uncle Rick Mears celebrated four times by winning the Indianapolis 500, made it more special.

"My family has had an unbelievable history of racing, and I've always wanted to make my mark with my family," Mears said Sunday. "We've got a long ways to go . . . but it sure feels good to win today."

Now Mears must show he isn't a one-win wonder.

NASCAR's history is littered with drivers who won once or twice but couldn't make it a habit. Johnny Benson, a truck series veteran and the 1996 Cup series rookie of the year, won just one Cup race. Jimmy Spencer won twice in 1994 (and won races in all three of NASCAR's series) but didn't win in Cup again. Those are just two examples.

But there are reasons to believe that Mears won't fall into that category. He's only 29 and should have many more years of Cup starts left. He's also on the top team in NASCAR at the moment. Everything is going Hendrick Motorsports' way this season. The team has won the last five Cup races and nine of the last 10. All four drivers have visited Victory Lane.

Smart decisions by crew chief Darian Grubb are one reason for the team's success.

Mears' relationship with Grubb is crucial for the driver's future. Grubb was hired as crew chief on the No. 25 car days before the 2007 Daytona 500. Grubb had an impressive resume, one that included a Daytona 500 victory as a fill-in for Chad Knaus on Jimmie Johnson's car in 2006.

Grubb and Mears needed time to communicate and figure out how each could make the other better. Mears told Grubb on Thursday before the race that he felt they had developed a great chemistry. It showed on Sunday.

Now the duo needs to start running up front consistently and make some return trips to Victory Lane. That would eliminate the need for any votes of confidence.

CASEY MEARS

Car: No. 25 National Guard/GMAC Chevy (Hendrick Motorsports)

Age: 29

Hometown: Bakersfield, Calif.

Point standings position: 29 (moved up six spots because of his Coca-Cola 600 win)

Notable: Won last weekend's Coca-Cola 600, his first career Cup win. . . . Was runner-up twice in 2006 and finished 14th in points in his final season for Chip Ganassi Racing. . . . Has been in NASCAR since 2003 and competed in the ARCA and CART series before that. . . . Uncle Rick Mears is a four-time Indy 500 winner.