Uncertain future unnerves Mears, others

CONCORD, N.C. - Casey Mears didn't expect to find himself looking for work so soon.

The NASCAR veteran began the year as the newest driver at Richard Childress Racing, taking over the wheel of the No. 07 Chevrolet and hoping to revive a career that couldn't get out of neutral at Hendrick Motorsports.

Mears has done that, putting himself 18th in points entering tomorrow night's race at Martinsville, ahead of established RCR stars Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick. But the final five races still could be another audition for Mears after Jack Daniels, the primary sponsor on his car, chose not to return in 2010.

He knows it's part of the game, particularly in the midst of an economic recession, but it doesn't make it any easier.

"I was at the shop talking to the guys," Mears said, "and not knowing what the future holds can be a little unnerving."

He's hardly alone. A handful of drivers are updating their resumes as they look for places to drive next season. Reed Sorenson, Jamie McMurray and David Stremme are all in the final days of their contracts.

Team owner Richard Childress has spoken to several companies about coming on board, but he didn't sound optimistic about Mears' future before last week's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He doesn't want to turn the car into a "start and park," either - slang for cars that qualify and then head to the garage after a couple of laps because of lack of sponsorship.

"To be competitive, that isn't the way to do it," Childress said.

And that isn't the way Mears would want it.

Then again, it may beat the alternative. There are plenty of former Cup regulars who don't even have that luxury of trying to qualify a car.

"If you're not in this garage or racing, you'll be forgotten about," Stremme said. "The thing is, there's always going to be somebody after your job, whether it's a crew chief or a driver or a team mechanic, whatever it is. There's somebody digging, trying to get in."

Stremme would know.

Rising star Brad Keselowski will take over his No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge when the season ends. Stremme, who is 30th in points, is keeping his options open but seems pretty certain he won't be driving at the Cup level in 2010.

He's not panicking, at least not yet, and he's not angry. Stremme said he's cordial with Keselowski and joked "he can come sit in my car, he can race it, whatever he wants."

But the idea of being stuck at home in South Bend, Ind., next February when Daytona rolls around isn't something he likes to think about.

"When all your friends go down there to race and you're not racing, that's when it's hard," Stremme said.

Winning isn't the only consideration in a sport where on-track results are only part of the equation. Mears has been to Victory Lane as many times during the past three seasons (once) as Dale Earnhardt Jr., whose huge fan base means he's in no danger of losing his job.

Whether a driver's imminent departure places a strain between himself and the rest of the team depends on the circumstances.

Kasey Kahne said his relationship with Sorenson hasn't changed in the weeks since Richard Petty Motorsports announced it was moving forward without Sorenson when RPM merges with Yates Racing at season's end. The two drivers still talk about their setups, the tracks and strategy, though it rarely turns to the future.

"We're not even sure exactly what we're doing [at RPM]," Kahne said with a laugh. "It's hard to really talk too much about that."

Not all splits are as amicable. Penske Racing only allows Kurt Busch's crew chief, Pat Tryson, in the racing shop once a week after Tryson announced he's joining Michael Waltrip Racing next year.

It's not personal, but with Penske already planning for 2010 and Tryson joining a competitor, there is little gained from allowing him to listen in on the program's plans.