NASCAR Cup Series return confirmed for former Hendrick Motorsports star

A former Cup Series driver is set to return to NASCAR's top division this weekend at Daytona International Speedway.

Casey Mears raced full-time in the Cup Series with multiple teams throughout his career, including Hendrick Motorsports, Chip Ganassi Racing, and Richard Childress Racing.

Mears' most recent full-time stint with Germain Racing came to an end at the end of the 2016 season, although he did return at Martinsville for a run out earlier this campaign in the No. 66 for Garage 66.

Now, it has been confirmed that Mears will once again be driving the No. 66 Ford this weekend at Daytona, backed by S.J. Yachts, who are owned by the Germain Motor Company.

Casey Mears set to return at Daytona

“I’m excited to have this opportunity to return to one of my favorite tracks, and I’m grateful to S.I. Yachts and Acrisure for their support, and to Carl Long for putting me in his car,” Mears said in an official statement.

“My relationship with Bob Germain and the Germain family is special to me, so it’s only appropriate for us to return to Daytona, a track where we’ve had a lot of success together and share many special memories.

"I’m also appreciative of Acrisure’s continued partnership. I’ve enjoyed the relationship we’ve built, and I look forward to our continued collaboration.”

Elsewhere, Garage 66 co-owner and NASCAR veteran Carl Long expressed his excitement at the package that his team had put together for this weekend's race.

"I’m glad we could put this partnership together, and we’re excited to have Casey in our car at Daytona,” Long explained.

“We secured a Roush Yates engine and a quality pit crew, so we’re looking forward to hitting the track.

"We appreciate the support of S.I. Yachts and Acrisure, and it means a lot to have the Germain family’s backing. The Germain family has a storied history in NASCAR, with two NASCAR Truck Series Championships and a Cup Series team that spanned 12 years, so I’m honored to have them on board with us this weekend.”

NASCAR Cup Series Daytona entry list

Here is the full entry list for this weekend's Cup Series regular season finale at Daytona:

1. Ross Chastain, No. 1, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
2. Austin Cindric, No. 2, Team Penske Ford
3. Austin Dillon, No. 3, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4. Noah Gragson, No. 4, Front Row Motorsports Ford
5. Kyle Larson, No. 5, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6. Brad Keselowski, No. 6, RFK Racing Ford
7. Justin Haley, No. 7, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8. Kyle Busch, No. 8, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9. Chase Elliott, No. 9, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10. Ty Dillon, No. 10, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
11. Denny Hamlin, No. 11, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12. Ryan Blaney, No. 12, Team Penske Ford
13. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
14. Chris Buescher, No. 17, RFK Racing Ford
15. Chase Briscoe, No. 19, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
16. Christopher Bell, No. 20, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
17. Josh Berry, No. 21, Wood Brothers Racing Ford
18. Joey Logano, No. 22, Team Penske Ford
19. Bubba Wallace, No. 23, 23XI Racing Toyota
20. William Byron, No. 24, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
21. Austin Hill i, No. 33, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
22. Todd Gilliland, No. 34, Front Row Motorsports Ford
23. Riley Herbst, No. 35, 23XI Racing Toyota
24. Zane Smith, No. 38, Front Row Motorsports Ford
25. Cole Custer, No. 41, Haas Factory Team Ford
26. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42, Legacy Motor Club Toyota
27. Erik Jones, No. 43, Legacy Motor Club Toyota
28. Joey Gase i, No. 44, NY Racing Team Chevrolet
29. Tyler Reddick, No. 45, 23XI Racing Toyota
30. Ricky Stenhouse Jr, No. 47, Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
31. Alex Bowman, No. 48, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
32. Cody Ware, No. 51, Rick Ware Racing Ford
33. Ty Gibbs, No. 54, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
34. Ryan Preece, No. 60, RFK Racing Ford
35. Casey Mears, No. 66, Garage 66 Ford
36. Michael McDowell, No. 71, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
37. Carson Hocevar, No. 77, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
38. BJ McLeod i, No. 78, Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
39. Shane Van Gisbergen, No. 88, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
40. Daniel Suárez, No. 99, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

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