Top Dog: Landon Cassill
Yes, you read that right. Landon Cassill was the top underdog at Daytona International Speedway, scoring a fourth-place finish with the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. It’s just his second career top-five result in 334 Cup starts, matching his previous high achieved way back in 2014 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Cassill certainly has the talent, but his equipment and experience lag behind that of several other underdogs. That proved no obstacle, however, in a dramatic finish to what’s been a chaotic and unpredictable 2022 NASCAR Cup Series regular season. In a rain-delayed Coke Zero Sugar 400 race that finished Sunday afternoon (Aug. 28), Cassill even found himself in position to challenge for the win.
It was a far cry from Friday night/Saturday morning’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race, where Cassill was the victim of late-race drama superspeedways often produce. Instead, on Sunday, Cassill was the one avoiding all the wrecks, lucky breaks that rewarded him richly in the end.
As is the case with many underfunded teams, several drivers, including Cassill, ran toward the back for much of the race’s first half. He would end the first two stages in 30th and 23rd, respectively.
But let’s flash forward to the end of the race. A restart with 27 laps to go brought the intensity level up a notch as dark, ominous clouds threatened the 2.5-mile track. With 23 laps remaining, the rain struck in the blink of an eye, sending the field into a frenzy. Race leader Daniel Suarez and Justin Haley both spun, collecting over half the field remaining.
Through the fire escaped Cassill, along with several underdogs. To cause the melee, the skies had opened up, once again sending the race into a delay that lasted over three hours.
Cassill would have been happy had the race ended then; his No. 77 Voyager Chevrolet was positioned in third. But when the race restarted, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa native proved he had the speed to stay near the front. As the remaining cars spread out, he was able to link up in a four-car pack that separated itself for several laps.
Cassill would lose the lead draft after Noah Gragson and Tyler Reddick got by, but he was able to back up to another group including David Ragan, Cody Ware and BJ McLeod. Up ahead of them, contact between race leader Austin Cindric and Austin Dillon allowed the field to come together once more. Cassill was able to drive back to third and put himself in position to win in the closing…
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