Cassill finds stability with Front Row Motorsports

There's not a lot that hasn't changed for Cedar Rapids native and NASCAR driver Landon Cassill in the last year.

Sort of parallel with what the sport he competes in has seen, Cassill's employment and life have seen major changes — and while the NASCAR changes' positive effect can be debated, those in the 26-year-old racer's life cannot be seen as anything but.

Cassill finalized a contract this week to drive full time in 2016 with Front Row Motorsports, piloting the No. 38 Ford, at an organization that now has a technical alliance with Roush Fenway Racing. He enters his third full Sprint Cup Series season after a year in which he became a father for the second time (Beckham Cassill is a fixture in his parents' social media), settled into a new house in Charlotte, N.C., and saw his triathlon hobby become the source for national attention.

This off-season was as stressful as any he's had, but now that his 2016 plans are set, his professional life appears as stable and prosperous for the future as his family life has become.

'It's exciting, (because now) we have this whole new toolbox of tools that (Front Row Motorsports) hasn't had access to and I haven't had access to,' Cassill said. '(The off-season) was really stressful. We really had so much success for our small team with Hillman Racing and the 40 car, and basically the 40 team looked like a healthy operation, but when the charter discussion came about, it was clear the 40 car wasn't going to get a charter. Long story short, it put the team out of business. It really was tragic because it wasn't anything Mike Hillman did wrong or we did wrong.'

As a result, Cassill was out of a ride and had to find other options.

The deal Cassill signed with FRM 'starts out as' one year, with 'hopefully a long relationship,' and though he couldn't confirm for sure who's going to be on the hood and quarter panels for sponsorship, he did say fans will see 'some familiar sponsors' on his new ride. Cassill had sponsorship in 2015 from Carsforsale.com, Snap Fitness and CRC Industries.

FRM's technical alliance with Roush Fenway Racing allows the organization to have access to vital setup information and select technology used by one of NASCAR's top teams — albeit one that has struggled to win races in recent years.

Having a teammate in Chris Buescher who is coming off an Xfinity Series championship and is considered one of the best up-and-coming racers won't hurt anything, either. While Buescher's FRM deal is tied directly to Roush, unlike Cassill's, both will benefit from it. Additionally, if and when the charter system finally goes through for the Cup Series, the No. 38 will have a charter — meaning Cassill will be guaranteed a spot in the field each week.

Cassill landing where he did offers him easily the most stability and resources he's had in his career. That's ultimately what led Cassill to FRM.

'It just seemed like at Front Row, having a teammate like Chris Buescher is going to be a tremendous motivator for me, coming off an Xfinity Series championship and having the relationship he does at Roush and the access to the technology we're going to have access to,' Cassill said. 'We thoroughly expect to see the Front Row cars run the best they've ever run this year.

'It's a tremendous opportunity for me to have these resources that I'm looking forward to taking advantage of. For the past few years, I've had my hands tied in terms of resources and what information I'm able to get.'

He leaned heavily on his wife, Kaitlan, and his parents, Roger and Colleen, to make his decision. Not only will Cassill have better and more consistent equipment at Cup races, but with no Xfinity Series races currently on his schedule, he can focus on one team and have more time that he's had the past two years. Over 2014 and 2015, Cassill competed in 132 races across NASCAR's top two series — as well as tossing in a handful of triathlons.

Being happier and less busy professionally will only mean positive things for an already positive personal life.

'With the new baby, I'm going to try to get my wife and little ones out to as many races as we can,' Cassill said. 'I leaned on my wife a ton and my dad a ton. I prayed about it a lot. With my dad, he's a phenomenal critical thinker, so when I call my dad, no matter what side I'm on, he'll take the opposite side. We'll kind of play tug of war with it to see how critical we can be with our thoughts. That's healthy with a big decision like this.

'My wife, she provided some of the most valuable thoughts for me in terms of what the perceptions will be, and she helped me make this decision that we're really proud and appreciative of.'

All of it added together means Cassill cannot wait to get to Daytona International Speedway in February for the 58th Daytona 500. He won't have to sweat the qualifying races, and can watch the Xfinity Series race from the comfort of a motor home.

On a team that is a proven winner at restrictor plate tracks, technical support from a proven organization and so many aspects of his life in order, Cassill goes into 2016 confident and content.

'It's an extremely competitive environment, and we're up against some mammoths, no matter what our technical alliance is,' Cassill said. 'This will be the first time I've gone to Daytona in a while and didn't have to qualify in. That's a cool thing.

'I'm really excited to go to Daytona, focus on this one car and team, lean on the resources, lean on the other Roush drivers and my teammate Chris Buescher — and get our season off to a good start.'

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com