CASSILL AT MEMPHIS: Landon Cassill will make his second career Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park start in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race. Last year at Memphis, Cassill was on the verge of capturing his first career Nationwide Series top-10 result, but was spun on the final lap of a green-white-checkered flag finish. He finished 20th.
MOST RECENTLY IN THE NO. 5: Jimmie Johnson most recently drove the No. 5 Chevy to a 33rd-place finish at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Oct. 10. Cassill last drove the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet to a 25th-place showing at Dover (Del.) International Speedway on Sept. 20.
EXTRA SEAT TIME: Cassill put in extra time two weeks ago at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, running in the ARCA Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events. During the ARCA race, in which he competed for JR Motorsports, Cassill got caught up in an early wreck that ended his afternoon. But he bounced back the next day, finishing sixth in the No. 81 National Guard Chevrolet Silverado of Randy Moss Motorsports.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Cassill currently sits two points behind Bryan Clauson in the Nationwide Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings. Cassill did not race at Kansas Speedway or Lowe’s Motor Speedway, while Clauson competed in both events.
THIS SEASON: Cassill will make his 24th career Nationwide Series start this weekend at Memphis. It will be the 15th 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 at Las Vegas and Fellows at Montreal. Cassill will pilot the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet for the final time this season at Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 8.
MEMPHIS CHASSIS: Crew chief Cam Strader has chosen JR Motorsports Chassis No. 402 for this weekend’s Nationwide Series race at Memphis. Cassill drove the car to a sixth-place finish at Gateway International Raceway in July. He also drove it at The Milwaukee (Wis.) Mile in June, when he started third and appeared poised to add another top-10 finish to his season. Cassill ran inside the top five for 86 laps and inside the top 10 for 184 laps before the No. 5 Chevrolet’s engine dropped a cylinder on Lap 217. Cassill was running ninth before the issue occurred and finished the race 22nd.
REPRESENT: The hood of the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet will honor Arkansas’ 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is the largest combat command within Arkansas. 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.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAMPE: Brian Campe, race engineer for the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team, will celebrate his 27th birthday on Sunday. Campe, a native of Madison, Ala., got started in motor sports as a high schooler building engines. From 1997 to 2002, he built engines for various forms of racing, including drag and stock cars. In 2002, he transferred from the University of Alabama at Huntsville to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to pursue a career in NASCAR. An internship at Dale Earnhardt Inc. in May 2003 turned into a job as a race engineer once he graduated in December 2005. Campe transitioned to Hendrick Motorsports in March 2006 and became the shock specialist for the No. 5 Nationwide Series team. At the end of the 2007 season, Campe moved from Hendrick Motorsports to JR Motorsports when the two organizations merged Nationwide Series programs.
UP NEXT FOR THE NO. 5: Mark Martin will pilot the No. 5 Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 1. This will be his fifth and final race driving the No. 5 Chevy for JR Motorsports this season.
PUMP IT: Landon Cassill and fellow driver Cale Gale will pump gas, greet fans and sign autographs at Kroger Gas Station at 2835 Kirby Parkway in Memphis, Tenn., from 3-5 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
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