FIRST NATIONWIDE SERIES TOP-10: Landon Cassill drove his No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet to his first top-10 finish in a NASCAR Nationwide Series event Saturday at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. The 18-year-old started in the sixth position and finished ninth, nabbing the honor of highest-finishing Raybestos Rookie.
ANOTHER FIRST: During Saturday’s race at Nashville, Cassill led once for 10 laps, marking the first time he has led a NASCAR event. He raced 72 laps in the top 10 and spent more than 60 percent of the race in the top 15 (137 laps of 225).
CASSILL AT KENTUCKY: This weekend will mark Cassill’s first time racing in a Nationwide Series event at Kentucky, but he goes in with some experience. He tested there several times in 2007 and 2008 for Hendrick Motorsports’ research and development team.
CASSILL THIS SEASON: Cassill will make his 13th career Nationwide Series start this weekend at Kentucky Speedway. This is the sixth 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.
KENTUCKY CHASSIS: Crew chief Chad Walter has chosen JR Motorsports Chassis No. 473 for this Saturday’s race at Kentucky. Martin originally was supposed to pilot this car in May at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, but had to use the backup after an accident during the final Nationwide Series practice. Also in May, Earnhardt drove the car as the No. 83 Chevrolet at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Earnhardt started 10th and finished fourth.
REPRESENT: The hood of the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet will honor Kentucky’s 2-138th Field Artillery Brigade this weekend. The unit currently is serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. 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.
DOUBLE DUTY: In addition to competing in Saturday’s Nationwide Series event at Kentucky, Cassill will see action in a dirt modified race in Vinton, Iowa, on Sunday. Cassill will drive an IMCA dirt modified owned by Jerry Luloff of Independence, Iowa, in the Hogan Memorial at Benton County Speedway. Cassill, a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will be available for autographs prior to the start of the race.
QUOTES
LANDON CASSILL, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON HIS TRACK EXPERIENCE AT KENTUCKY.): “I’ve tested at Kentucky several times in 2007 and also earlier this year, but I’ve never raced competitively there. Obviously in a race situation you’ve got other cars around. I’ve never had to pass anybody at Kentucky so that’s one thing I’ll be learning now. I have seat time there already from testing for Hendrick Motorsports’ R&D team. It should be similar to a lot of the tracks I’ve been to like Kansas or Nashville. You know the pit stops and stuff like that—they’ll probably have a green-flag pit stop at Kentucky. I just need to go there and have a smooth race and use everything I’ve learned in the past.”
CASSILL (ON RACING IN THE DIRT MODIFIED RACE ON SUNDAY.): “The dirt modified deal is a pretty good opportunity just because I get to go home for a week and do some dirt racing with some old friends. It’s a memorial race for the mother of a good friend of mine, Scott Hogan. He’s asked me to come race a modified in his race, and he’s done a lot for me and my career. He’s been a close friend, and my dad has supported his racing in dirt modifieds at local short tracks. So it’s cool to go back and race with him for a weekend and just have some fun and visit some friends and family.”
CASSILL (ON HOW HAVING RACED IN THE TRUCK SERIES AT LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY WILL HELP HIM AT KENTUCKY.): “The similarities between Kentucky and Lowe’s include some aerodynamic stuff. Aerodynamic things I learned in the truck will transfer over to the Nationwide car. Just kind of where the car gets loose when you’re next to people and where it gets tight when you’re behind people is beneficial. Kentucky and Charlotte are very different racetracks, but they’re both fast. Getting used to the speed is one thing that Charlotte probably helped me with.”
CASSILL (ON WHAT HE IS DOING FOR FATHER’S DAY.): “For Father’s Day, I’m racing a dirt modified in Iowa. But I’m especially excited about the gift that I’m giving my dad this year. I’m getting him a vintage 1977 Mattel football video game. When I was a little kid, I found one of my dad’s old ones from when he was a kid and played it a lot and enjoyed it. And I thought it would be cool to get my dad a new one in the box, like a collector’s item.”
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