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Mears hopes to return to Germain Racing next year UPDATE: Casey Mears' status is uncertain for next season. While the 37-year-old driver of the #13 Geico Chevrolet remains optimistic, Mears expected to have his next contract signed by now. "Honestly, I really don't know yet," Mears told motorsport.com on Friday. "We've had a lot more speed this year. Obviously, our stuff has gotten better. As far as I know, everything is really positive. We haven't really dove into those conversations yet. All indications are that we're moving forward into next year. But some point, we need to have that conversation for sure. I'm surprised that it took so long for someone to mention it because in this day and age, everything happens so early. Definitely, we need to start having conversations and find out when that's going to be." Mears has piloted the No. 13 Geico Sprint Cup car for Germain Racing since the Bristol August race in 2010. The team changed manufacturers before last season from Ford to Chevy - along with a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing. While there were rumors that Ty Dillon could end up with the ride next season, it's more likely that Richard Childress' grandson would drive the #33 Chevy with support from Bass Pro Shops. Germain Racing declined comment on Mears' status.(Motorsport)(5-10-2015)
UPDATE: Mears and his Germain Racing team are working through the second season of a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, and that has brought the driver something even more than competitive engines and chassis: It's brought stability, the ability to focus on fine-tuning instead of starting from scratch. It's a breath of fresh air for a driver who knows all too well what it's like not to have that luxury. 2015 is a contract year for Mears. In early May, the driver said that he hoped to return, but there had not been much conversation between him and the team yet, and there were rumors that the ride would go to RCR development driver Ty Dillon. Mears says that he and the team have talked since, and he feels positive about the future. "We definitely have talked about it," he recalls. "Things sound really good. Nothing's nailed down yet, but we're definitely talking about moving forward and nothing really changing, hopefully. I've talked to Bob (Germain) and he's excited about our future. Everybody seems to be on the same page, so we just have to figure it out." The team has come so far together. It's climbed from a start-and-park operation that some in the sport ridiculed to a contender that almost everyone respects. Mears and his teammates have done it the hard way, and they've done it together. They want to build a future together.(Frontstretch)(5-30-2015)

Ford's Allison moving to production side of company: Jamie Allison, Ford Racing's former director of racing, is moving on. While rumblings of Allison's departure circulated in January, Dave Pericak, who was named director of the newly formed Ford Performance in December, said at that time Allison would remain and oversee the marketing side. Sources tell motorsport.com Allison will remain with Ford, but on the production side of the company. Raj Nair, Ford Group Vice President, Global Product Development, and Chief Technical Officer described the introduction of Ford Performance - and Pericak's role in overseeing the program was "part of our overall strategy at Ford to ramp up our investment in performance and racing to take advantage of a growing market worldwide for performance vehicles." Pericak, 43, is a Purdue graduate from Chicago who most recently oversaw the development of the Ford Mustang as chief engineer. But he honed his skills in engineering and product development prior to being selected by Nair for his new role. Pericak reports directly to Nair, which he acknowledged was "not typical in our culture" but understandable considering "how special" Ford Performance is and the importance of executing Nair's "vision". As the spotlight moves from the single-focus Ford Racing to a global platform with 12 new performance vehicles through 2020 the emphasis at the top transferred from an emphasis on marketing to engineering. Mark Rushbrook is currently overseeing Ford Performance's NASCAR program and will continue to provide technical and competition-based information to Pericak.(Motorsport)(5-30-2015)

Hamlin wants to stay at Gibbs long-term: Hamlin's year to date has been a bit of a roller coaster. The Virginia native scored his first victory of the season at Martinsville Speedway, earning his spot in the 16-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup field. However, he has also recorded six finishes of 22nd or worse. Despite the up-and-down results, Hamlin believes his team is headed in the right direction and the poor finished are not indicative of how his cars are running. After his victory in the All-Star Race, questions were raised about Hamlin's contract status with Joe Gibbs Racing. However, the driver of the #11 set the record straight, saying this is not a contract year. "I've still got some time left on my deal," he said. "I've been with Gibbs for really a lot time. I'd hope to stay with them." Would Hamlin ever entertain offers from other teams? "As long as the Gibbs family will have me, I'll stay there," he said.(FoxSports)(5-30-2015)