Cassill back in Truck Series with ThorSport Racing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Hendrick Motorsports development driver Landon Cassill will drive a Chevrolet Silverado with Hendrick power for ThorSport Racing in the Camping World Truck Series opener Friday night at Daytona International Speedway.

Former two-time NASCAR Touring Division champion Lance Hooper will crew chief Cassill's No. 98 Chevrolet, which will use a Hendrick Engines powerplant in the NextEra Energy 250. He joins ThorSport's two full-time trucks, driven by 2009 series runner-up Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter.

ThorSport is currently the longest-tenured team in the Truck Series, after Roush Fenway Racing closed its No. 6 program at the end of last season. ThorSport has fielded a truck in 297 consecutive events, since the series' second season, in 1996.

Cassill, 20, has gotten varying elements of support from Rick Hendrick since his only significant race program with HMS, in 2008 when Cassill won the Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year Award with five top-10 finishes in 16 of 19 starts he made that season.

Cassill also made all seven of his previous Truck Series starts that year for Morgan-Dollar Motorsports and Randy Moss Motorsports, which merged to form the current two-truck RMM team. Cassill had a top-five and three top-10 finishes that season and averaged a 12.7 finish in those seven races.

The deal for Cassill to drive the truck came about through sponsorship from a North Wilkesboro, N.C., company, etc. Cabinets and its etc.easytoinstall.com Web site.

"A few months ago I was introduced to [team manager] David Pepper at ThorSport and we just started working on ways to get a third truck team off the ground," Cassill said. "Duke Thorson has a tremendous program in the Camping World Truck Series and I look forward to try and add to the effort. I have to hand it to them. We prepared this truck in the 11th hour, working night and day on making it happen. I'm really looking forward to seeing the effort pay off."

Cassill's last restrictor-plate start in the Truck Series was at Talladega in 2008, when he finished sixth in the fall event in the Randy Moss Motorsports Chevrolet.

"Any restrictor-plate track is a gamble, but there's still some strategy to it," Cassill said. "Staying out of trouble and not putting the truck in compromising positions on the race track is key to being around for the end, when it really counts. I have some great teammates in Johnny Sauter and Matt Crafton, who have a lot of experience between them. Hopefully I can do my part in making sure that all three of us are up front at the end, giving us a great opportunity for a win.

"Making good decisions in the draft and being patient is the most important thing I can do at Daytona. Having friends and keeping friends in the draft is key to when you need a push to the checkered flag. I work on supporting teammates and finding good trucks to draft with through the race so I have an idea on what works well at the end. A lot of it comes down to luck, but I'll be doing my best to keep us around the front with some help."