NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Eighteen-year-old Landon Cassill started 22nd and finished 19th here March 22 driving the No. 5 National Guard car at Nashville Superspeedway in his first NASCAR Nationwide Series race this season.
Cassill will drive for the National Guard in 16 races this season and is competing for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year honor. He shares the Guard car with top driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhadt's No. 88 National Guard Sprint Cup team was off for the Sunday holiday and did not race.
In the beginning:
When the first caution came out on Lap 8, the 18-year-old rookie reported that his No. 5 National Guard/128th Military Police Company Chevrolet was handling well, but that it was just slightly tight in the center. By Lap 27, Cassill had improved to the 17th position.
During the long green flag run that followed the restart on Lap 25, Cassill reported that the National Guard Chevrolet’s handling was getting tighter in the center on both the exit and entry in the turns. On Lap 59 and under the race’s second caution, Cassill was running 19th.
Life in the pits:
During the second caution of the afternoon, Cassill came in on Lap 61 for his first pit stop and received four tires, fuel and air pressure and track bar adjustments. The National Guard Chevrolet team struggled to make the track bar adjustment, so Cassill returned to the pits one lap later. During the stop, he took fuel as well. At the restart on Lap 65, Cassill was running 25th.
Handling continued to be an issue for the Guard car, and on Lap 124, Cassill pitted under the green flag for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. The spring rubber also was removed from the right rear in an attempt to alleviate the car’s tightness in the center that occurred when Cassill exited the turns. Cassill, who was running 19th before the pit stop, rejoined the field in the 23rd position.
On Lap 157 and under the third and final caution of the day, Cassill – in 18th position – came in for fuel, four tires and air pressure and wedge adjustments. Cassill gained a position and was 17th at the restart on Lap 160.
How it ended:
Cassill and his No. 5 team continued to work on the tight-handling Guard car. By Lap 205, Cassill was running 16th, but dropped back to 19th place during the final laps of the 225-lap event due to a broken radiator pan that affected the car’s down force. Cassill finished 19th.