Go Behind the Wheel with Landon

 

EARLY SUCCESS

Landon Cassill was only 3 years old when he was first introduced to the world of competitive auto racing. Cassill's father, Roger, started his young son on quads, a form of motocross four-wheeler racing, at local tracks in Iowa. Shortly after, Cassill graduated to go-karts, where he found instant success.

At the age of 10, Cassill finished second in the Pro Kart Tour at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The following year, he earned his first of two Kart Series national championships. Cassill finished his kart racing résumé with four International Kart Federation (IKF) championships, on both dirt and asphalt tracks.

In 2000, Cassill competed in three different classes -- one in midgets and two in go-karts -- winning all three state championships in the same night. The following year, Cassill topped that achievement by winning four more state championships at the Newton Kart Klub in Newton, Iowa.

When Cassill moved to midget racing, he once again demonstrated his dirt track abilities by winning the 2001 IKF national midget championship. He then turned to Legends Cars to satisfy his racing passion. In 2003, his prowess continued to pay dividends when Cassill earned the Hawkeye Downs legend car championship.

At the age of 14, Cassill, already a veteran racer in his home state of Iowa, set a record as the youngest driver to race and win a modified feature event at the famed Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids. In six races that season, Cassill went on to post five more top-five finishes.

SHIFTING GEARS

While racing modifieds weekly in Iowa during 2003, Cassill began to set his career in motion. The world of American professional auto racing centered on NASCAR, and that is where Cassill wanted to be. He graduated from the Finish Line Racing School and began making a name for himself in the American Speed Association (ASA).

Cassill, 15 years old at the time, finished 11th in the final point standings during his first year with the series and improved to sixth the following season. In addition to racing ASA in 2005, he also completed a partial schedule with the Champion Racing Association, where he finished 14th in the series point standings.

WELCOME TO NASCAR

In 2006, Cassill was introduced to NASCAR through the GM Racing Development competition. He was one of 16 drivers to participate in the three-stage evaluation process that took place at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth, Ga., and concluded at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway.Cassill's ability caught the attention of Hendrick Motorsports, where he signed as a driver in December 2006.

In 2007, Cassill played an integral role in Hendrick Motorsports' development of the Impala SS, Chevrolet's "Car of Tomorrow" entry in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, by testing Lakeland (Fla.) Speedway and Greenville-Pickens (S.C.) Speedway.

Along with his driving duties, Cassill became a full-time employee at Hendrick Motorsports, working with the research and development program at the sprawling racing complex in Concord, N.C. He also drove during practices with the Hendrick pit crews and completed rigorous physical training with the company's human performance group.

As the year progressed, Cassill was given the opportunity of competing in various racing series for Hendrick Motorsports, making his first career start at South Boston (Va.) Speedway in June for a NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch East Series event. In addition, Cassill competed in one other Busch East race, two ARCA Series races and six NASCAR Nationwide Series events. Cassill posted a career-high Nationwide Series finish of 18th at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in September.

In 2008, Cassill will compete in 16 Nationwide Series races in the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolets for JR Motorsports in partnership with Hendrick Motorsports. It will mark the most extensive racing action for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate since he signed with the Hendrick organization.  Landon will  make 2 ARCA starts at Daytona, and Talledega.  He will also drive the Nationwide #4 Phoenix Racing car on the road courses, as well as a start with the #46 Morgan-Dollar NASCAR Craftsman Truck sponsored by www.GoDaddy.com .

DIVERSE RÉSUMÉ

  • Competed in over  16 U.S. states, scoring hundreds of feature wins.
  • Raced on both dirt and asphalt tracks of various sizes.
  • Appeared in several road-course racing events, earning a career-best fourth-place finish in the World Karting Association world championships in Jacksonville, Fla.
  • First NASCAR top ten finish in the  #46 Morgan-Dollar www.GoDaddy.com Nascar Craftsman Truck Series May 16, 2008
  • Cassill finished the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series season with one pole and five top-10 finishes in 19 starts this season.  He claimed Raybestos Rookie of the Race honors seven times.
  • NASCAR NATIONWIDE 2008 "ROOKIE OF THE YEAR" WINNER
  • Named "Driver of the Event" at the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed; West Sussex, England

FOCUS ON FAMILY

  • Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; attended Isaac Newton Christian Academy, Taft Middle School, Thomas Jefferson High School (parents reside in Fairfax, Iowa)
  • Moved to Charlotte, N.C., in March 2007 with grandmother Janet Cassill.
  • Originally introduced to racing by father Roger Cassill.
  • Roger is a car dealer in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
  • Mother Colleen is a stay-at-home mom.
  • Older brother Zac is a semi-professional bass angler in the FLW.  Zac is also studying geology at Winona (Minn.) State University.
  • Sister Echo loves to figure skate, read, and play with the family dogs.

ALL-AMERICAN TEEN

  • Graduated early from Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids with academic honors in February 2007.
  • Competed on the J-Hawks golf team while in high school.
  • Worked with special-needs students also enrolled at Jefferson High.

AWAY FROM THE TRACK

  • Spends time practicing for future races on his Bug-Eye Technology racing simulator. Cassill competes online with fellow racers.
  • Enjoys playing golf when he has some down time from his busy racing schedule.
  • Is a fan of college football, particularly the Iowa Hawkeyes.
  • Enjoys playing video games on his Xbox.

ROLE MODELS

  • Cites his father, Roger, and fellow racer Junior Hanley as two of the major role models in his career. Hanley, a prominent super late model driver from Canada, mentored Cassill as he began racing stock cars and competed against him in the Champion Racing Association.
  • Also considers Gary St. Amant, a two-time ASA champion, as a major contributor to his success in auto racing. St. Amant competed with Cassill on the ASA tour.
  • Looks up to Jimmie Johnson, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate. Cassill cites Johnson's on-track success, composure and ability to 
  • communicate with his team as admirable attributes.