Landon Cassill

Cassill (Left) with BK Racing teammate, Travis Kvapil (Right) in 2012

**Landon Douglas Cassill** is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Pepsi Cup Series, driving the no.77 Chevorlet for Spire Motorsports with Josh Bilicki. Since 2010, Cassill has driven for multiple teams with full-time seasons for BK Racing in 2012, Hillman Smith Racing from 2013-2015, Front Row Motorsports from 2016-2017, and StarCom Racing in 2019.

## Career

### 2010: First Starts

In 2010, Cassill made his debut in the summer race at Michigan, driving the no.09 Chevorlet for Phoenix Racing. However fifty-one laps into the event, rear gear issues knocked him out of the event.

Four races later Cassill would return to Pepsi Cup racing, but this time driving for TRG Motorsports' no.71 Chevorlet at Chicagoland Speedway. However brake problems forced Cassill out of the race. He would return to the following race at Indianapolis with TRG, however the engine overheated and he was forced to exit the race.

Cassill then bounced around driving for Phoenix, TRG, and Gunselman Motorsports' no.64 Toyota for the rest of the 2010 season, but in all but one race, Cassill DNF'd in every one due to mechanical issues in each one, except for Richmond in the fall, where he successfully finished a race in 33rd, driving for TRG.

### 2011: Germain Racing and return to Phoenix Racing

In 2011, Cassill signed onto Germain Racing to drive their second entry: the no.60 Toyota. However the entry was a start-and-park entry, after his third race at Bristol, Cassill departed.

Cassill would rejoin Phoenix Racing in their no.09 (Later no.51 after the Coca Cola 600) Chevy for the rest of the season (except three races), with his best finish being 12th at Michigan accompanied with three other top twenties. He was expected to drive the no.51 in 2012, but was released from Phoenix due to a lack of sponsorship and James Finch needing to find sponsors for certain races.

### 2012: BK Racing

For the 2012 season, in early February, it was announced that Cassill would drive for Front Row Motorsports in the 2012 Daytona 500, driving the No. 26 Ford, but the deal fell through as Cassill received a full-season offer. Shortly after that, it was announced that Cassill signed with the newly formed BK Racing, to drive their no.83 Toyota full time.

Throughout the 2012 season, Cassill scored seven top twenties with a best finish of 18th place three times with his third being at Kansas Speedway in October that year where his significant highlight would during the event when he was involved in several incidents with then-part-time Cup driver Danica Patrick, eventually leading Patrick to attempt to wreck Cassill, though she ended up spinning and wrecking into the wall off turn two. Cassill placed 31st in points. However despite this, Cassill departed the team in January 2013 after a new deal could not be achieved for the upcoming season. Cassill later sued the team and principal owner Ron Devine for unpaid winnings and salary in excess of $205,000, in addition to Cassill's claim that he was misinformed about his employment status with the team until January 16 of that year. Meanwhile, owner Devine stated that Cassill's demands to be the team's number-one driver led contract negotiations to go sour, while claiming teammates Travis Kvapil and David Reutimann were content with sharing two rides among three drivers. Cassill ultimately signed with Circle Sport to be their primary driver.

### 2013-2015: Circle Sport/Hillman Racing/Hillman Smith Racing

Beginning in 2013, he joined Circle Spot to drive their no.33 Chevy. However Cassill did not participate in the 2013 Daytona 500, as Austin Dillon was driving the 33. Cassill would make his first start with the team in the following race at Phoenix, where he placed 32nd. Cassill would then drive the next thirteen races until he took the next two races at Michigan and Sonoma off. He would return in the race after Sonoma at Kentucky. He would then participate in the next three races before he was moved to Circle Sport's second entry, the no.04 Chevy. In his first start in the no.04, he placed the car 33rd at Indianapolis. For the rest of the year, Cassill bounced around the no.33 and no.04 entires, making twenty-one starts in the 33 and twelve starts in the 04 during the 2013 season.

In 2014, Cassill was moved to the 04 by the renamed Hillman Racing. Cassill opened the 2014 season with an 11th place run in the 2014 Daytona 500. Cassill wouldn't nab another top 20, until Talladega in April with a 12th place effort. The highlight of 2014, was an unbelievable 4th in the 2014 GIECO 500. He would also get another top 20, with a 19th in the following race at Martinsville.

2015 couldn't bring the year's pervious success with only three top twenties and five DNFs. After the season, Cassill left. His best finish was 13th at Daytona in July.

### 2016-2017: Front Row Motorsports

Cassill joined FRM's no.38 Ford, replacing David Gilliland (Who decided to do a part-time schedule with FRM). Cassill would score seven top twenties throughout the year, with the highlights of the year during the 2016 Food City 500, where he led 20 laps on a contrary fuel strategy to a 22nd-place finish. HE other came during 2016 Duck Commander 500 at Texas, a big one occurred on lap 271, Cassill barely made it through the wreck. He placed 29th in points.

Cassill returned to FRM, this time in their no.34 Ford, replacing Chris Buescher after he left to join JTG Daugherty Racing, and after David Ragan returned to FRM to drive the 38. However three top twenties and six DNF's led to a dismal 31st in points. On October 10, 2017, that Cassill would not be returning to Front Row Motorsports in 2018, being replaced by Micheal McDowell.

### 2018: Part-Time with StarCom

After losing his ride in 2017, Cassill came into the 2018 season as a free agent. Following the release of Jeffrey Earnhardt from StarCom Racing, Cassill was announced as the new driver of the No. 00 Chevrolet Camaro with sponsorship from the United States First Responders Association beginning at Martinsville. Cassill finished second to last after mechanical failure took the car out of the event. The following race proved much better, as Cassill finished 21st. Cassill would return once again at Bristol with sponsorship from Superior Essex and TW Cable where he would finish in the 20th position. Throughout 2018, Cassill ran well in StarCom's 00, with two top twenties, with a best finish of 18th at Las Vegas in September. On December 17, 2018, StarCom announced that Cassill would drive the No. 00 car full-time in 2019.

### 2019: StarCom Racing

2019 started off when he ran mid-pack in the late part of the 2019 Daytona 500, but a crash put Cassill out of the event in 24th. Cassill would one again score two top twenties at Daytona in July (Where he ran high as second, but fell back to finish 11th), and at Talladega in October where he placed 14th. Although he was under contract for the 2020 season, Cassill lost his ride at StarCom to Quin Houff.

### 2021: Gaunt Brothers Racing

In 2021, Cassill would join Gaunt Brothers Racing for the last two Superspeedway races at Daytona and Talladega. At Daytona Cassill ran mid-pack, until a crash took out of the contention in 36th. Later at Talladega, Cassill placed 24th in the rain shortened event.

### 2022: Spire Motorsports

In 2022, Cassill would join Spire Motorsports to drive eleven race for Spire, sharing the ride with Josh Bilicki in the no.77 Chevorlet.

Cassill started off the year 12th in the 2022 Daytona 500 after avoiding the many accidents the race had. Cassill then participated in the no.77 in fourth race of the year at Phoenix, where he finished 30th. Cassill then returned two race later once again at the spring Richmond race and finished 32nd.

He then later returned at Talladega, and finished 19th after once again avoiding the chaos in the race. One week later, he returned at Darlington where he finished 22nd. Cassill would not participate in the following six races until Atlanta, where he finished 24th. Cassill retuned four weeks later at the summer Richmond where he finished 30th. Two weeks later he returned for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, where he once again avoided all the chaos to finish 4th once again.