NASCAR driver Casey Mears has been dealt a brutal setback in his pursuit to reach 500 Cup Series races this season.
Mears has had a long career in the sport, and currently has 495 races in NASCAR's top division under his belt. However, he is only part-time these days, meaning opportunities to add to that tally are few and far between.
Earlier this month, though, Mears landed a five-race deal with Beard Motorsports, which should have seen him hit the 500 Cup race mark this year. However, 41 cars entered the Cup Series race at Talladega this weekend, meaning one driver had to miss out on making the race.
In a brutal turn of events, that will be Mears, but he didn't even get the chance to try to get himself through. With qualifying having been cancelled due to the weather, the starting lineup has been set as per the NASCAR rule book, with Mears' No. 62 Chevrolet cut from the field without even hitting the track this weekend.
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NASCAR Cup Series Talladega Starting Lineup
After qualifying on Saturday morning was canceled, here is the full starting lineup for Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway.
| Pos | Driver (Car No.) | Team (Manufacturer) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Reddick (45) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 2 | Kyle Larson (5) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin (11) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 4 | Bubba Wallace (23) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 5 | Chase Briscoe (19) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski (6) | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 7 | William Byron (24) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 8 | Chase Elliott (9) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 9 | Ty Gibbs (54) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 10 | Chris Buescher (17) | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 11 | Ryan Preece (60) | RFK Racing (Ford) |
| 12 | Carson Hocevar (77) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 13 | Austin Cindric (2) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 14 | Christopher Bell (20) | Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) |
| 15 | Ryan Blaney (12) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 16 | Daniel Suárez (7) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 17 | Riley Herbst (35) | 23XI Racing (Toyota) |
| 18 | Austin Dillon (3) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 19 | Todd Gilliland (34) | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 20 | Alex Bowman (48) | Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 21 | Erik Jones (43) | Legacy Motor Club (Toyota) |
| 22 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47) | HYAK Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 23 | John Hunter Nemechek (42) | Legacy Motor Club (Toyota) |
| 24 | Ross Chastain (1) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 25 | Joey Logano (22) | Team Penske (Ford) |
| 26 | Josh Berry (21) | Wood Brothers Racing (Ford) |
| 27 | Cole Custer (41) | Haas Factory Team (Chevrolet) |
| 28 | AJ Allmendinger (16) | Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 29 | Noah Gragson (4) | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 30 | Zane Smith (38) | Front Row Motorsports (Ford) |
| 31 | Michael McDowell (71) | Spire Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
| 32 | Connor Zilisch (88) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 33 | Shane van Gisbergen (97) | Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 34 | Kyle Busch (8) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 35 | Ty Dillon (10) | Kaulig Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 36 | Cody Ware (51) | Rick Ware Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 37 | Jesse Love (33) | Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet) |
| 38 | Chad Finchum (66) | Garage 66 (Ford) |
| 39 | Joey Gase (44) | NY Racing Team (Chevrolet) |
| 40 | Daniel Dye (78) | Live Fast Motorsports (Chevrolet) |
Did Not Qualify: Casey Mears, No. 62, Beard Motorsports (Chevrolet).
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