Casey Mears to return to NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville

Can you believe it? Casey Mears is making his return to the NASCAR Cup Series. He will race at Martinsville for Garage 66. This team was formerly known as MBM Motorsports. Carl Long is bringing a big name back to the sport.

Casey Mears will race the No. 66 HitchGO Ford Mustang at Martinsville later this month. The Cook Out 400 will have a big name making his return to the Cup Series.

Mears last made a Cup start in the 2019 Daytona 500. He was last full-time in the series in 2016. The release from Garage 66 makes note that Mears wants to make his 500th career start in the Cup Series.

Right now, ahead of Martinsville, he needs 11 more starts to reach 500. So, it sounds like we will see more of his this season.

🚨 NEWS: @CJMearsGang is returning to @NASCAR!

Casey will start his 490th premier series race in the @GoHitchGO #66 @MartinsvilleSwy on March 30 as he chases a major milestone: 500 career NASCAR Cup starts.

READ: https://t.co/EDPS9SIySX#NASCAR #CookOut400

🎨 @SMD_racing pic.twitter.com/cuhWz5A9r4

— Garage 66 & MBM Motorsports (@MBMMotorsports) March 13, 2025

“I’m happy to be back in a race car and look forward to returning to Martinsville, one of my favorite tracks,” Mears said in a press release. “I appreciate Carl working with me to make it happen; he’s a well-respected, great guy who’s worked hard to experience longevity in the sport. I’m excited to have HitchGO, Mosby’s Towing and Transport, and Coble Enterprises on board as we chip away at 500 NASCAR Cup Series starts.”

Garage 66 attempted to enter Mike Wallace into the Daytona 500. Wallace was not approved by NASCAR. Instead, Chandler Smith drove the 66 car on short notice. He wrecked in his Duel race and did not qualify.

Since retiring from NASCAR, Casey Mears has made multiple starts in the Baja 1000 Trophy Truck Class. He has raced on dirt since 2019 as well. Going to a track like Martinsville is a good first step back.

Casey Mears returning to NASCAR with Carl Long

This Garage 66 team has had a tough time this season. Landing a good deal to put Casey Mears in the car for multiple races, ideally, this season is great. That can be a partnership that actually grows the team’s Gen 7 program more.

Carl Long is hoping Mears can do that, at least. It’s an exciting partnership, to say the least.

“Having Casey Mears drive a Garage 66 car is a proud day for our organization,” Long said. “He’s driven for NASCAR’s elite, such as Chip Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing. Adding Garage 66 to that list means a lot to me and everyone who’s helped build our team.”