Mears and Ganassi Are Parting Ways

Casey Mears, still winless on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit, will not return to the Dodge team of Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates in 2007, Ganassi said Thursday.

Mears, 28, a Bakersfield native and member of the famed Mears racing family, is in his final year of a four-year contract that brought him to the Nextel Cup series in 2003.

“Casey said he was going to go elsewhere and drive,” Ganassi said. “Am I disappointed? Yes. At the end of the day, he made a business decision, and I can respect him for that.”

Mears was traveling to the series’ next race in Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania and not immediately available for comment.

But speculation mounted that Mears would move to the Hendrick Motorsports team, which uses Chevrolets, because Hendrick driver Brian Vickers received permission Thursday to look for a new ride.

“Brian came to us recently and expressed his desire to explore opportunities outside our organization,” Hendrick spokesman Jesse Essex said.

“Although he is under contract, we have given him permission to do so.”

Essex also confirmed that Hendrick has been talking to Mears about joining its team, but declined to comment further.

Hendrick’s drivers also include Nextel Cup points leader Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, who are close friends of Mears.

There also has been speculation that Mears might be recruited by one of the new Toyota Camry teams in the Cup series starting next year.

Mears is 13th in the Cup point standings with one top-five finish this year -- a second-place behind Johnson in the season-opening Daytona 500.

Ganassi said he would immediately start searching for a replacement to drive Mears’ No. 42 Dodge next year.

Mears is the son of off-road racing champion Roger Mears and the nephew of Rick Mears, four-time winner of the Indianapolis 500.

Casey also began his career in open-wheel racing, but shifted to NASCAR in 2003.