where his father Bill, who drove race cars himself, ran Mears Excavation, a backhoe construction company. At 11, Rick raced toy slot cars and began spending much of his free time working on them.

Rick Mears proved his talent in the American open-wheel racing series in his very first ... hitting the wall and flipping his car upside down. Despite the setback, he went on to claim his sixth ...

Casey Mears, driver of the #25 National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet, talks with team owner, Rick Hendrick during qualifying ... but his start in stock car racing was not without challenges.