MOST RECENTLY: Landon Cassill, 18, started seventh and was the highest-qualifying rookie in last week’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. Cassill held that position until Lap 19 when he received contact from behind. He finished 25th despite significant damage to the rear fender of the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet.
CASSILL AT NASHVILLE: In March, Cassill started the Nationwide Series event at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in the 22nd spot and finished 19th. Cassill was running 16th by Lap 205, but dropped three spots during the final laps of the 225-lap event due to a broken radiator pan that affected the No. 5 Chevy’s downforce.
CASSILL THIS SEASON: Cassill will make his 12th career Nationwide Series start this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway. This is his fifth of 16 scheduled races driving the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet for JR Motorsports this season. Cassill shares the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet with top drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Adrian Fernandez, Ron Fellows and Martin Truex Jr.
NASHVILLE CHASSIS: Crew chief Chad Walter has chosen JR Motorsports Chassis No. 495 for this Saturday’s race at Nashville. Jimmie Johnson last drove the car at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on May 24. He started 22nd, led a lap and finished 10th.
REPRESENT: The hood of the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet will honor Mississippi’s 185th Theater Aviation Brigade this weekend. For 19 of the 21 National Guard-sponsored races in the No. 5 Chevy, a different Army National Guard unit will be honored on the car.
FUN FITNESS: Cassill and his Hendrick Motorsports strength trainer James Nelson took an unconventional approach to fitness last week when the duo went kayaking down the Catawba River in the Charlotte, N.C., area. For Cassill, it was a fun alternative to basic cardio and weightlifting, especially because the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native never had kayaked before.
EXTRA SEAT TIME: In an effort to get more seat time, Cassill drove in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Dover on May 30. He drove the No. 46 Morgan-Dollar Motorsports Chevrolet to a 24th-place finish.
MORE EXPERIENCE:sill competed in three races in three days last weekend. After racing in the Craftsman Truck Series on Friday and the Nationwide Series on Saturday at Dover, he headed west for the ASA Late Model Series at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway last Sunday. Cassill started competing in the ASA Late Model Series when he was 15 years old. In his first year, he finished 11th in the final series standings and improved to sixth the following season.
LOCAL CONNECTION: Marty Oody and Tim Whelan, members of the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet team, both consider the Nashville area home. Oody, the front-tire changer, grew up in Loudon, Tenn., and now lives in Troutman, N.C. Oody works at Dale Earnhardt Inc. during the week as a finish fabricator and was on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team when he won his most recent NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond, Va. Whelan, the team’s gas man, is a Middle Tennessee State graduate and does everything from testing to fabricating. Whelan also was a part of the late model team that gave the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. one of his first career pole positions.
NEXT UP FOR CASSILL: Cassill is competing for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors, and this weekend’s race will mark the second of five consecutive Nationwide Series events that he will compete in for JR Motorsports. He next will compete in the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet at Kentucky Speedway on June 14.
