Mears to replace Papis
Casey Mears is expected to replace Papis in the No. 13 Germain Racing car in the Sprint Cup Series for the next sponsored race in September at Atlanta. The insurance company also is expected to sponsor Mears for a part-time Cup schedule in 2011.
Papis could end up in the Camping World Truck Series with GEICO sponsorship. The company has sponsored him for 18 Cup races this year, and Papis has been to the rest of the races to start-and-park.
“It would benefit a lot for me to run a full season, and that’s what GEICO wants," Papis said Saturday at Michigan International Speedway, where he made the Cup race but doesn’t plan to run the full event Sunday. “We’re working to make that happen. I don’t know what that will mean on the Cup side. That’s only what I know right now.
“If I could run a full season, it would help quite a bit. It will not be in the Cup series."
Papis’ best finish this year has been 22nd, which he managed at Texas and Watkins Glen.
“I really feel that so far, that we came from being so far away two years ago to making the Daytona 500, qualifying for the Brickyard 400 and I’m really, really proud how far I came with the team and helped the team," said Papis, who has 34 career Cup starts.
“I definitely played a pretty big part in making this happen."
With eight Nationwide starts and 15 truck starts, Papis was 10th in the truck race at Auto Club Speedway last year and eighth at Martinsville last March. He finished third in the Nationwide race at Montreal driving for Phoenix Racing in 2007.
“To make clear, nobody is firing nobody here," Papis said. “We are trying to decide with GEICO what is the best thing to do. Nothing has been signed." Scenedaily.com
08/09/10 Sirius NASCAR Radio's Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody has confirmed that Casey Mears will replace Max Papis in the #13 Germain Racing GEICO Sprint Cup Series Toyota, beginning at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 5. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a source close to the team said the deal will be completed and contracts signed within the next 48 hours. The car will "start and park" at both Michigan and Bristol with drivers TBA, before Mears takes over at Atlanta. He will also drive the car in the full 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule. Papis, meanwhile, will run the full NASCAR Camping World Truck Series slate next season in a GEICO-sponsored Toyota, also out of the Germain Racing stable.