Casey Mears 2017 plans

Former open wheel driver Casey Mears went to NASCAR years ago and made a career as a backmarker. He was another popular family name plucked from IndyCar to ensure it never grows too big

Casey Mears says he and the Germain Racing #13 team are concentrating their efforts only on the remaining five races of 2016 and can't speak about next year.

"Not at the moment," Mears said Friday at Talladega Superspeedway. "Right now we're just focused on what we talked about at the beginning of the season. Focus on the remainder of this year first and foremost."

Rumors have Germain opting to replace Mears next season, possibly with NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Ty Dillon. Dillon's Richard Childress Racing organization has a technical alliance with Germain. Geico, the #13 team's primary sponsor, is signed through 2018. In many cases, sponsor and driver contracts run concurrently.

"As I know more, we can talk about it," Mears said. "But right now we're just focused on getting through this weekend." NASCAR.com