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VENUE: NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY (1.33-MILE D-SHAPED OVAL) CIRCUIT: NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES (RACE 6 OF 35) DATE: MARCH 22, 2008 (225 LAPS, 300 MILES) ***** CASSILL'S FIRST RACE WITH JR MOTORSPORTS: Driving the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet, 18-year-old Landon Cassill will make his first start for JR Motorsports and the seventh of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career this weekend at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. CASSILL'S CAREER: In 2007, Cassill made six starts for Hendrick Motorsports with the National Guard as his sponsor. The rookie recorded his best start (sixth) in his Nationwide Series debut, which was July 21, 2007 at Gateway International Raceway. He recorded his career-best finish (18th) at Dover (Del.) International Speedway on Sept. 22, 2007. ROOKIE DEBUT: Cassill, who will drive in 16 races this season for JR Motorsports, will be competing for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year honor. 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. SEAT TIME IN 2008: Cassill finished seventh in the ARCA Series race on Feb. 9 at Daytona International Speedway. He drove the No. 88 Chevrolet, which is owned by Earnhardt and operated out of JR Motorsports. Cassill, who qualified eighth, ran inside the top-10 for 55 of the total 80 laps. NASHVILLE KNOCKOUT: When Cassill got his big break -- an invitation to the GM Racing Development competition -- he took full advantage. The competition was held at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth, Ga., and concluded at Nashville Superspeedway. Cassill was one of 16 drivers to participate in the three-stage evaluation process and ultimately was offered a contract by team owner Rick Hendrick. TESTING 1, 2: Testing with Hendrick Motorsports has helped Cassill not only develop familiarity with the Chevrolet Impala SS, but also with interim Nationwide Series crew chief Lance McGrew. Cassill has gotten to know McGrew, Hendrick Motorsports' R&D crew chief, through testing with the organization's research and development team in 2007 and 2008. Cassill continues to test the Impala SS for Hendrick Motorsports while racing for JR Motorsports. 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. REPRESENT THE GUARD: The hood of the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet will honor Alabama's 128th Military Police Company this weekend. Most recently, the unit was activated on May 16, 2005 to aid hurricane recovery efforts in Louisiana and then again in the summer of 2006 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 128th awarded 16 Purple Hearts and 93 percent of the unit earned the Combat Action Badge for engaging or being engaged by the enemy. For 19 of the 21 National Guard-sponsored races this season, a different Army National Guard unit will be honored on the No. 5 Chevy. NASHVILLE CHASSIS: This weekend, the No. 5 Chevrolet team will use the same chassis -- No. 299 -- that it used at California Speedway on Feb. 25 and Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 8. Earnhardt Jr. posted the car's best finish this year, taking seventh at Fontana. The chassis, which was a backup car for most of last year, last won in May 2005 when the No. 5 Chevy finished first in the CARQUEST 300 Nationwide Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. UP NEXT FOR THE NO. 5: In his fourth of eight scheduled races this season, Earnhardt will pilot the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet on April 5 at Texas Motor Speedway. Cassill will climb back into the No. 5 National Guard/285th Attack Helicopter Battalion Chevrolet on April 11 at Phoenix International Raceway. ***** LANDON CASSILL, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON FINALLY GETTING BACK INTO THE RACE CAR AND RUNNING IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES.): "I'm just really excited to get back in the race car and go race. I'm excited to see the National Guard's men and women at the race track again, with the different brigades and units. I'm also looking forward to getting my season kicked off and get in a rhythm and get focused on running some races." CASSILL (ON HOW HE HAS PREPARED FOR THE SEASON.): "I've been going to all the races this season and getting acquainted with the Nationwide Series and how it's run. I'm just getting focused on my first race this weekend at Nashville and doing as much testing as possible. I'm preparing myself physically and mentally for the race." CASSILL (ON HOW HE HAS GROWN FROM LAST SEASON AND WHAT HE HAS LEARNED.): "I've learned a lot about how aggressive I need to be on the race track and when to be aggressive. I think I'm going to learn in these Nationwide Series races this year how to apply that. I'm also going to learn where your place is on the race track, when you need to use your bumper or your mirrors and also how to use your spotter." CASSILL (ON HOW HIS DRIVING STYLE DIFFERS FROM LAST YEAR.): "I think last year I was a little timid at times and needed that confidence. This year, I'm going to be able to hold some confidence. I'll go to the race track and not worry about who's next to me or who's behind me and just go out there and be aggressive and get after it." CASSILL (ON HOW TESTING THE IMPALA SS FOR THE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TEAM HAS HELPED HIM.): "Seat time. Any time I can get in a race car, whether it's an Impala or Monte Carlo, that's the most important thing for me right now." CASSILL (ON HIS EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SEASON.): "I definitely want to shoot high and run in the top-10. I also want to be a contender at every race I go to and be fast and represent my sponsor, the National Guard, as well as I can. We have great equipment at JR Motorsports, and I just want to make sure that I can be a driver who can get everything I can out of my race cars." CASSILL (ON SHARING THE NO. 5 CHEVROLET WITH AN EXPERIENCED LINEUP.): "It's going to be really cool to have some of the best Sprint Cup drivers racing in the No. 5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet this season. Seeing them run so well gives me a lot of confidence in my race cars and my team so that I can go out there and just focus on my driving. I'm hoping to learn a lot about how they approach the Nationwide Series events and what it takes to have successful races." Thanks to Amy Walsh for the race recap. Courtesy of Hendrick Motorsports. Media Relations | No. 88 AMP Energy / National Guard Racing  |
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