ESPN Sprint Cup

ESPN.com preseason rank: No. 21

2009 Outlook

Becoming a championship contender in NASCAR is all about finding your comfort zone. It's a complex puzzle, and all the pieces have to fit perfectly.

Casey Mears thought he had found the right place when he left Chip Ganassi's team to join Hendrick Motorsports two years ago. He was headed to the best organization in the Sprint Cup, but it never felt quite right.

You can try on the most expensive shoes in the store, but it doesn't matter how pretty they look if they aren't the right size.

Mears says he hopes he's finally found that perfect fit at Richard Childress Racing.

"I thought I was comfortable last year," Mears said. "But now I'm over here at RCR and I'm realizing I wasn't as comfortable as I should have been. This is a very good fit for me. It really is."

Mears, 31, left the No. 5 Chevrolet at Hendrick to take the wheel on the No. 07 Chevy at RCR.

Most of the crew from Clint Bowyer's old team, including crew chief Gil Martin, stayed on Mears' ride. Mears also gets the owner's points from Bowyer's team. Bowyer moved to the new No. 33.

It sure looks like Childress is doing everything he can to make Mears comfortable.

"Richard was one of the key reasons why I definitely wanted to go to RCR," Mears said. "He's one of those guys that really watches the race. I don't know how many times I'd be walking through the garage and he'd stop me and say, 'Man, that race you had with that guy the other day was a hell of a race.'

"He's watching what you do and how you reacted. It was neat to know that he was kind of keeping tabs on me and seeing what was going on. I always thought that was special about Richard, that he actually paid attention to what was going on out there a lot more than a lot of other car owners do.''

New teammate Jeff Burton has been paying attention to Mears since he arrived at RCR.

"In talking to Casey, the thing that I'm really impressed with is his enthusiasm, his desire to be successful," Burton said. "Casey is going to bring something to our company immediately. He's very professional, very much wants to do the right thing, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to be successful."

Mears has seen what it takes in his own family. His uncle, Rick Mears, is one of the only three men to win the Indy 500 four times. But Casey still is searching for a little dab of that kind of success.

Burton said people shouldn't judge Mears based strictly on his two seasons at Hendrick, where he won one race.

"Not every situation is right for everybody," Burton said. "If you're part of a team and other drivers are having success and you're not, that doesn't mean you can't be successful. It means that that program doesn't work for you.

"I've learned in this sport that teams and companies have to match people together. I think Casey hasn't been matched up. It's chemistry. Casey hasn't had the situation where he could be as successful as I think he can be."

Is RCR that perfect place for Mears? We'll see.

2008 Review

Mears was a lame duck at Hendrick Motorsports, knowing in August that he was leaving to join Richard Childress Racing. He still ran well down the stretch, improving five spots in the standings (to 20th) in the last seven races. But his only top-5 finish came on the Sonoma road course with a fifth-place showing in the June event.

Has a shot at the title if: He suddenly inherits all the racing talent of his uncle, Rick Mears, and transforms those skills from Indy car to NASCAR.

Won't win the title because: He's learning the ropes at a new team and never has finished better than 14th in the standings in six Cup seasons.

-- Terry Blount