Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR
The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season did not start off right for Casey Mears and his Geico Toyota race team. Mears was among the drivers who failed to qualify for the season opening event, the Daytona 500. Fortunately, it was the only race the 13 car would miss all year long as Mears was able to qualify for the remaining 35 events and establish his team in the top 35 in owner's points. This means the Geico Toyota is locked in to the 2012 Daytona 500 field as well as the subsequent four races.
Mears struggled all year long in the Sprint Cup Series leading only 10 laps during the entire year and managing a best finish of 12th in the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville. Mears average finish in 2011 was a dismal 28.8. That aside, the underfunded team attempted to run nearly all of the races on the year and was not considered to be a "start and park" car.
Unfortunately, Mears and his team were the second highest penalized driver/team combination for the 2011 season. However, a good number of penalties occurred in the Coca-Cola 600 and the driver and crew had only three serious penalties after the 20th event of the season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Brickyard 400. Most of the penalties were driver errors as Mears himself garnered 13 penalties in 2011 while his Geico pit crew only garnered four penalties all year long.
2011 Statistics For Casey Mears
31st in Sprint Cup standings
35 starts
0 top 5s
0 top 10s
Best Finish: 12th in the Tums Fast Relief 500
10 laps led
2011 Penalty Report For Casey Mears
Race 2 - Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of the field; Pitting out of order, Tail end of longest line
Race 4 - Pre-Race to the rear, Tail of Field, Transmission; Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
Race 6 - Pitting out of order, Tail of Field
Race 12 - Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field; Speed-Exiting pits, Tail of Field; Too many crewmember(s) in contact with pit service area Tail of Field; Pitting before pit road is open Tail of Field; Speed-Exiting pits Tail of Field; Too many crewmember(s) in contact with pit service area Tail of Field; Pitting before pit road is open Tail of Field
Race 14 - Pitting out of order Tail of Field; Too many crewmember(s) in contact with pit service area Tail of Field
Race 16 - Pitting before pit road is open, tail end; Pitting before pit road is open, tail end; Lug nut(s) not installed, pit
Race 20 - Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
Race 22 - Pre-Race to the rear, engine change; Jumping the start, pass thru - changing lanes at the start
Race 26 - Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
Race 35 - Speed-Entering pits, pass thru