PREVIEW: LANDON CASSILL (NO. 5 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET)
VENUE: CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE TRI-OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES (RACE 20 OF 35)
DATE: JULY 11, 2008 (200 LAPS, 300 MILES)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LANDON: Landon Cassill, who is competing for NASCAR Nationwide Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors, celebrated his 19th birthday Monday. In nine Nationwide Series events this season, Cassill has recorded one top-10 finish and one pole position.

MOST RECENTLY: At New Hampshire Motor Speedway last month, Cassill earned the pole position -- his first in NASCAR competition -- for his 15th career Nationwide Series race. Cassill, driver of the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet, has qualified well in his last five attempts, earning five straight top-10 starting spots. In addition to NHMS, he started seventh at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, sixth at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, eighth at Kentucky Speedway and third at The Milwaukee (Wis.) Mile.

COMMUNICATION IS KEY: Early in June, Cassill and crew chief Chad Walter took the Management By Strengths survey to enhance and strengthen their communication skills. The survey determines a person's temperament and benefits companies by helping coworkers work more effectively together. Cassill, rated a "paced" personality, and Walter, who was scored "direct," have used the results to better communicate as driver and crew chief. A paced person focuses on timing and cooperation, while a direct individual likes to be in control and solve problems.

LANDON CASSILL, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON HIS IMPROVING PERFORMANCE.): "I think my focus is on track. My relationship with my crew chief, Chad Walter, is as good as it's ever been. Also, being able to be in a race car every week plays a major role in that -- running in the (Craftsman) Truck Series and being in the Nationwide car every week. All of those things together help keep my confidence up and allows me to do what I need to do."

CASSILL (ON HOW HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH CREW CHIEF CHAD WALTER HAS IMPROVED.): "We've done some MBS (Management By Strengths) testing that breaks down our personalities and helps clarify how Chad and I need to communicate. I think it's made a big impact. Even more than that, just the fact that we are sitting down together and doing something like that helps our communication in itself."

CASSILL (ON HOW HE HAS GROWN AS A DRIVER.): "I think grown is a good word because it's not like I've made any abrupt changes in my driving style. I've never had a total reformation of how I'm doing it. It's just every time I get into the car I find something that works better -- if I drive it in the corner deeper, or if I back up the corner, or jump to the gas sooner or harder or softer. Every time I get in the National Guard Chevy, I find something new that will help me out, and that's kind of how I've been adapting over the last 10 races."

The complete article can be found at: http://www.catchfence.com/bgnpress/070808f.html

"My relationship with my crew chief, Chad Walter, is as good as it's ever been." --- Landon Cassill