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[/media-credit]Statesville, N.C. (June 19, 2012) – Landon Cassill has never competed at the raceway in Sonoma, Calif., but he’s turned several laps at the 1.99-mile, winding road course. Without his tires ever touching the asphalt, Cassill has dashed his way around Sonoma using iRacing technology.
He’s relied heavily on the racing simulation to prepare for his first start in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 and hopes the experience will allow him and the No. 83 Burger King/Dr Pepper team to hit the ground running on Sunday.
Cassill has yet to make a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start on a road course, but he has made three Nationwide Series starts at road venues. His best finish came at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2008, which he started 19th and finished 14th. After two consecutive DNFs, the 83 team rebounded at Michigan with a solid top-20 performance. Cassill started 32nd and finished 18th. It was his second-best finish at the track. BK Racing aims to keep the momentum rolling this weekend.
Comments from BK Racing Driver Landon Cassill heading into Sonoma:
“This will be my first start at Sonoma. I’m really excited about it. I’ve never tested there or raced in any other series there, so this is truly a fresh start for me. I’ve been preparing by iRacing at the track. That’s really helped me get familiar with it. I have a much better idea of what to expect now. I know all of the twists and turns and I have a feel for where my braking and acceleration points will be. There’s no substitute for the real thing, but iRacing is pretty close.
“I’ve raced at Montreal, Mexico and Watkins Glen in the Nationwide Series. They’re completely different than Sonoma, but I learned some road racing fundamentals that will definitely help out this weekend. A lot of the techniques will apply and come in handy this weekend. “After two rough weeks, Michigan was just what we needed. It was great to see our team rebound and have such a good race. Everyone was pumped up and feeling good. It’s amazing what a solid finish can do for the morale of the team. I’m really proud of our team and I’m hoping that we keep up the momentum at Sonoma.”
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