PENSACOLA, Fla. -- One year after failing to qualify for the Snowball Derby, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Landon Cassill has surrounded himself with all the resources required to finally score his first victory in the prestigious short track event.
Landon Cassill: Missing the Snowball Derby was humbling
Landon Cassill has joined Adrian Carriers Racing this weekend in a pairing that should contend for the Snowball Derby victory.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Cassill entered the Derby with a lot of momentum last year and was considered one of the favorites following a pair of fourth place finishes in both 2010 and 2011. But a poor qualifying effort and last chance race left Cassill on the outside and unable to race.
It’s a memory he hopes to override by returning to contention this weekend.
“That was humbling,” Cassill said of missing the race last year. “It definitely wasn’t fun at all and it’s not what we come here to do. I’m just glad to be back here in good equipment and with a good car that has a real shot at winning the race.”
To improve his chances, Cassill has aligned himself with the Adrian Carriers Racing team that finished second in the Snowball Derby last year with Jeff Choquette. Cassill hopes that he will go down in history as the missing piece that the team needed to finally win the legendary race.
“That’s why I wanted to drive this car,” Cassill said. “Because I knew it could do that and they hired me because they believe that I can get them that next spot -- it’s motivating.”
Cassill and the No. 29 team should be a formidable pairing as Cassill has come close to winning the Derby on several different occasions in other entries. His most recent near-win occurred in 2010 when he was leading late until contact with Johanna Long controversially knocked him out of contention.
In a recent interview with SB Nation, Long called her move in that race “aggressive” but understood it given the nature of short track racing. More so, he believes he would be tempted to do the same thing if put in the same position later this weekend.
“You don’t have to pass that way, especially if you have more forward bite off the corner,” Cassill said. “But I don’t know. If you have to get into someone to win this race, it does happen here and I don’t know that I wouldn’t do what Johanna did. ”
Ultimately, he hopes to be in that position and have the chance to find out.
Continuing coverage of the Snowball Derby can be found on the Ranting and Raving short track blog. Visit our Facebook page for all the updates and links to our stories leading up to the Super Bowl of Short Track Racing.
See More:
