Between Feb. 16, 2003 and Nov. 8, 2026, Casey Mears made 500 NASCAR Cup starts, and in doing so, becomes just the 50th driver in NASCAR Cup history to reach 500 starts.
“I just feel really appreciative of the opportunity,” said Mears going into the race weekend. “I’d say it’s pretty rare that somebody gets to be out of the sport for that long and then comes back and participates. I’m excited to go do it one last time.”
