Cassill, Gase primed for Daytona Speedweeks

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The Daytona 500 is the biggest race on the NASCAR calendar. The Super Bowl of Stock Car racing, as they say. Daytona Speedweeks, which encapsulate the Sprint Cup Series' Great American Race, as well as the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series, is as big as or bigger for the industry than championship weekend at year's end.

That's not written as news so much as it is a reminder — a reminder that what the drivers and teams are about to take part in is as important to them as anything they'll do this season.

Cedar Rapids natives Landon Cassill and Joey Gase are part of the festivities, as they have been the last handful of years. Cassill enters the year with a new team and a renewed outlook on his Cup career. Gase enters 2016 in a continued effort to help build and sustain the fledgling Jimmy Means Racing.

All the talk and buildup to Speedweeks has passed, and it's time to go racing. There are more than a few people at Daytona International Speedway who aren't upset that's the case.

'Honestly, I've had so much stuff to deal with in the last month or two that wasn't on track, I'm ready for on-track stuff,' Cassill said Tuesday. 'I'm tired of all the off-track stuff. I'm ready to get on track because it's been such a long off-season. It was such a swing of emotions that I feel like the one constant that I know I can look forward to and appreciate is the on-track activity.'

Cassill and the rest of the Sprint Cup Series get the first taste of that at 4 p.m. Wednesday, with the first practice for Thursday night's Can-Am 150 Duels. Cassill starts 17th in Duel 2, which helps set the lineup for Sunday's Daytona 500.

This is the first time since 2012 Cassill goes into his Duel without having to race his way into the sport's marquee event, and that adjustment is both a relief — one he said he's certainly not taking for granted — and presents a whole different challenge. His goals are different this time. He doesn't have to worry about racing Sunday. Instead he gets to worry about from where he'll race Sunday, and how he'll race Sunday.

That makes Thursday night more fun in the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford, but it doesn't mean there's no pressure.

'I don't think there's any way to be more aggressive in the Duels than you've got to be when you have to race your way in. I raced the hardest I've ever raced in my life in those Duels, trying to get myself into the show,' Cassill said. 'I don't know if I'll be able to race with that kind of desperation on Thursday night, even though my plan is to race hard. Right now my goal for Thursday is to show — especially because we didn't have the best qualifying time on Sunday — I still feel like we have a good car.

'I need to use Thursday as an opportunity to run up front in my Duel to get a good starting spot and good pit selection, and show the field we're capable of running up front.'

As for Gase, his first on-track action will come Friday for the Xfinity Series' first practice at 9:30 a.m., and like Cassill, he's ready to be back in the car. Also like his Cedar Rapids counterpart, Gase spent the off-season working in offices to make sure everything is set for all of 2016.

He has a little more sweating to do for qualifying, but is excited about the possibilities of what his No. 52 Jimmy Means Racing Chevy can do once he's in the race.

'The entry list isn't out yet, but they're expecting 48 cars — which is quite a few for a 40-car field. It'll be interesting,' Gase said. 'We've done some things to improve our program, so it'll hopefully be a good year.

'Hopefully we'll be in on time no problem. We'll just have to see how it plays out. We put in a lot of work in the off-season to get sponsors, and you get tired of that after a while. I'm ready to get back in the car and go do what's fun and why I'm doing this in the first place.'

WHERE AND WHEN TO WATCH CASSILL AND GASE

Here's a rundown of on-track activity for Wednesday through Sunday, when Cassill and Gase will be in their cars and when you can watch them.

Wednesday, Feb. 17

Sprint Cup Series practice — 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., FS1 (Cassill)

Sprint Cup Series practice — 5:10 p.m. to 5:55 p.m., FS1 (Cassill)

Thursday, Feb. 18

Sprint Cup Series practice — 11 a.m. to 11:55 a.m., FS1 (Cassill)

Can-Am Duel 2 — approx. 8 p.m., FS1 (Cassill starts 17th)

Friday, Feb. 19

Xfinity Series practice — 9:30 a.m. to 10:55 a.m., FS1 (Gase)

Sprint Cup Series practice — 11 a.m. to 11:55 a.m., FS1 (Cassill)

Xfinity Series practice — Noon to 12:55 p.m., FS1 (Gase)

Sprint Cup Series practice — 1 p.m. to 1:55 p.m., FS1 (Cassill)

Xfinity Series final practice — 2 p.m. to 2:55 p.m., FS1 (Gase)

Saturday, Feb. 20

Xfinity Series pole qualifying — 9 a.m., FS1 (Gase)

Sprint Cup Series final practice — 11:15 a.m. to 12:55 p.m., FS1 (Cassill)

Xfinity Series Powershares QQQ 300 — 2:30 p.m., FS1 (Gase)

Sunday, Feb. 21

Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 — Noon, FOX (Cassill)

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