LAST TIME IN THE NO. 5: Landon Cassill’s most recent race in the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet was July 26, when he started 13th and finished seventh at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. The top-10 finish was his third this season and fourth of his career. Cassill ran inside the top five for 14 laps and inside the top 10 for 134 of the 200-lap NASCAR Nationwide Series event.
MOST RECENTLY: The 19-year-old driver didn’t take a break after competing at ORP. Cassill gained additional seat time in the No. 4 Chevy for Phoenix Racing at the Nationwide Series road course events in Montreal and Watkins Glen, N.Y. At Montreal, Cassill started 19th and finished 14th. At Watkins Glen, he started 36th, but finished 31st, six laps down, after his car suffered brake issues.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR LEADER: Cassill now sits first in the Nationwide Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings, two points ahead of Dario Franchitti.
DOUBLE DUTY AT BRISTOL: While Cassill never has raced at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in the Nationwide Series, he did spent time on the short track on Aug. 11 in preparation for Wednesday’s United Speed Alliance Racing (USAR) Hooters Pro Cup Series race. Cassill will drive the No. 24 National Guard Chevrolet in the USAR event, and he plans to use the track time to get ready for Friday’s Nationwide Series race.
THIS SEASON: Cassill will make his 21st career Nationwide Series start this weekend at Bristol. It will be the 12th of 16 scheduled races in which Cassill will drive 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. The No. 5 team has posted two wins so far this season—Martin won at Las Vegas, while Fellows went to Victory Lane at Montreal.
BRISTOL CHASSIS: Crew chief Cam Strader has chosen JR Motorsports Chassis No. 275 for this weekend’s Nationwide Series race at Bristol. The car won at the half-mile track in March 2006 and scored top-five finishes there in March 2007 (third) and August 2007 (fourth).
ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Last Friday, Cassill hosted a track walk at Iowa’s Hawkeye Downs Speedway to help raise money for the flood victims in his hometown of Cedar Rapids. Team owners Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. matched the fans’ donations and brought the total to more than $50,000. Later that evening, Cassill ran in the late model race there, driving for McGrath Powersports. Cassill raced points leader Steve Carlson for the win, but a late-race spin translated to a sixth-place finish for the Nationwide Series rookie.
UP NEXT FOR THE NO. 5: Jimmie Johnson will race the No. 5 Chevrolet in the Aug. 30 Nationwide Series event at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Cassill next will pilot the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on Sept. 5.
QUOTES
LANDON CASSILL, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON GETTING BACK IN THE NO. 5 CHEVY AND RACING AT BRISTOL.): “I’m really excited to get back in the No. 5 National Guard Chevy and to continue to have more top-10 runs every time we get in the car. And I’m excited to work with Cam (Strader) again because he did a great job for me at Indy (O’Reilly Raceway Park), and he also won a race with the team since then. I think we will be very competitive. It’s going to be cool to race at Bristol, and it will be a neat experience. I grew up watching races there, so to make my first start (at Bristol) is going to be important, and, hopefully, we qualify well to get the track position.”
CASSILL (ON WORKING WITH CREW CHIEF CAM STRADER.): “Cam is really easy to communicate with, and he’s a really good guy. His knowledge for the race cars keeps getting better and better. He’s learning a lot, I’m learning a lot and we’re learning a lot together. I think that’s a great relationship to have. This National Guard team has worked hard all season, and the crew continues to do so. I’m proud of the guys and greatly enjoy working with them every week.”
CASSILL (ON GETTING EXTRA SEAT TIME AT BRISTOL RACING IN THE USAR SERIES RACE.): “I’m looking forward to making my first start in the Hooters Pro Cup Series race on Wednesday night, and it will benefit me to get some extra seat time on the track for the Nationwide Series event. I just want to get all the laps in and learn how to pass at Bristol. It’s going to be really important. I will learn what the surface wants and learn what the car needs, and, hopefully, I can use all that information for my No. 5 National Guard Chevy.”
CASSILL (ON RAISING MORE THAN $50,000 FOR THE FLOOD VICTIMS IN CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA, LAST FRIDAY NIGHT.): “It was really neat to see the stands full. I don’t think I’ve ever been at Hawkeye Downs Speedway and seen that many people in the stands in probably eight years. It was cool to go there and see all the people walk around the racetrack and see everybody so pumped up about just everything that was going on. A lot of the fans were struggling themselves from the flood, so to see them dig in and find that extra motivation to help out with our charity was amazing. I think we really made a big impact on the community, and I look forward to seeing the results. It’s just a good feeling to know that we are helping those in need.”
CASSILL (ON IOWA SPEEDWAY GETTING A RACE NEXT SEASON IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES.): “It’s awesome. Iowa is a great racetrack, and it was designed perfectly for these race cars. It will put on a great show for the fans, and I can’t wait to run there. I know I’m going to have a lot of friends and family there, and it will give me a chance to go back home and see all of them. I can’t wait to walk across the stage at driver intros next year and hear all the people cheer. It’s going to be exciting. The race fans in Iowa are pretty dedicated. I think my team and I can have a good run there, and maybe I can have my first NASCAR victory in Iowa. That would be cool. I’ve raced at the Iowa Speedway before. The banking is just right, and the whole shape of the racetrack is perfect for its size. I think our cars are going to put on a great show and open up to three- and four-wide multi-groove racing, and I know our fans won’t let NASCAR down. I know the racetrack, the facility and the people there are all very good to work with. It’s going to be a very smooth deal.”
CASSILL (ON HIS THOUGHTS ON THE OLYMPICS.): “I haven’t been watching a lot of it, but, it’s hard not to notice Michael Phelps. He’s won so many gold medals already, and I think he could single-handedly win men’s basketball if they just put him in (LAUGHS). He’s just that amazing of an athlete.”
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