For the first time in 2019, Landon Cassill started an Xfinity race. And for the first time in more than three years, he added a top 10 to his series resume.
Returning to JD Motorsports in Saturday’s Money Lion 300 at Talladega Superspeedway, Cassill outlasted late accidents and a wild last restart to finish 10th, his first top 10 since 2015 and only the second for the team in 2019.
“It was wonderful,” Cassill said. “I thought the car was really, really good. It felt a little free all day but it carried good speed in the corners. It means a lot to have a top 10 and a car in one piece.”
With the No. 4 Chevrolet regularly piloted by Ross Chastain, an opportunity with Kaulig Racing on Saturday opened the door — or the phone lines — to Cassill.
With a lengthy relationship, Cassill did not hesitate to assist team owner Johnny Davis.
“Johnny Davis is somebody who is very special to me,” he said. “Honestly, Phil Swift from Flex Seal is pretty special to me, too. He’s someone who has sponsored Johnny for a long time, kept me in a racecar for a long time. I’ll do anything for Johnny when he gives me the call.”
Running quietly through the majority of the event, Cassill ran it hard for the final three-lap run to the end. Experience took it from there.
“It took a lot of patience,” he said. “I wanted to race a lot harder earlier. Fortunately, attrition did what we thought it would do and we raced just really hard on those last three laps.
“It’s how we raced. We knew what we could take. When we saw an opportunity, we raced hard. It was definitely a good day.”
Growing up in Easton, Pa., Zach Catanzareti has grown his auto racing interest from fandom to professional. Joining Frontstretch in 2015, Zach enjoys nothing more than being at the track, having covered his first half-season of 18 races in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in 2017. With experience behind the wheel, behind the camera and in the media center, he thrives on being an all-around reporter.