PREVIEW: LANDON CASSILL (NO. 5 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET)
VENUE: PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY (ONE-MILE OVAL)
CIRCUIT: NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES (RACE 8 OF 35)
DATE: APRIL 11, 2008 (200 LAPS, 200 MILES)

AT PHOENIX: Landon Cassill will make his eighth career NASCAR Nationwide Series start Friday at Phoenix International Raceway. For the first time, the 18-year-old rookie is returning to a track where he's previously raced. In 2007, Cassill started 17th at the one-mile oval and finished 34th after receiving serious contact early in the race.

THIS SEASON: Friday's race will mark the second start of the season for Cassill, who recorded a 19th-place finish at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway in March. Cassill, who will pilot the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet in 16 events this year, is competing for the Raybestos Rookie of the Year honor. He will share the JR Motorsports Chevrolet with top drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Adrian Fernandez, Ron Fellows and Martin Truex Jr. Cassill's next start in the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet will be at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway on May 2.

GO FISH: Cassill will be joined by his older brother, Zac, who is a professional bass angler in the FLW Stren Series, for the National Guard Fishing Challenge Competition on April 23. The event, conducted jointly by the FLW and NASCAR, will be hosted by the National Guard and held at Mountain Island Lake near Charlotte, N.C., from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. local time. Cassill's No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet team will join him for the event.

CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew chief Lance McGrew has chosen JR Motorsports Chassis No. 470, which is a new car that Cassill drove at Richmond International Raceway several weeks ago during a Nationwide Series test session.

ONE-MILE COMFORT: Cassill posted his career-high finish at a one-mile track last September when he drove to an 18th-place finish in the Nationwide Series race at the one-mile Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

REPRESENT: The hood of the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet will honor Arizona's 285th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion this weekend. For 19 of the 21 National Guard-sponsored races in the No. 5 Chevy, a different Army National Guard unit will be honored on the car.

OFF WEEKEND IN TEXAS: Cassill spent last Thursday at Texas Motor Speedway spotting for teammate Earnhardt during both Nationwide Series practice sessions. While Earnhardt prepared for the race, in which he finished seventh, Cassill learned more about the importance of a spotter.

UP NEXT FOR THE NO. 5: Fernandez will race the No. 5 Lowe's Chevrolet on April 20 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. On April 26, Earnhardt will pilot the No. 5 Delphi Chevrolet at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

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AUTOGRAPH SESSION: Landon Cassill will greet fans and sign autographs at JR Motorsports' souvenir hauler on Thursday from 2-2:30 p.m. local time.

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LANDON CASSILL, DRIVER OF THE NO. 5 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET (ON RACING AT PHOENIX.): "It's pretty cool to be able to get back in the car because I can get back in my rhythm. I had the kickoff to my season at Nashville in the National Guard Chevrolet. I've got 15 races to go, and I'm looking forward to all of them. Phoenix is significant because I raced there last year. It's almost like I can go back and catch on faster to the race track and maybe have a better run and compete with the Cup guys a little."

LANDON CASSILL (ON BALANCING HIS DOWNTIME AND RACE DAY EMOTIONS.): "That's something I've been working on. It's really difficult because only having 16 races in a season, it kind of puts every race on a pedestal, and you have to focus on not putting every race on a pedestal. I struggled with it before Nashville because obviously I hadn't had anything to race in yet. Part of me was nervous about Nashville because I'm like, 'I've got to do this.' But once you get there -- no matter if it's your first race or last race -- you just have to focus on the race weekend and do your job. Whatever happens happens."

LANDON CASSILL (ON FISHING IN THE TOURNAMENT.): "This is the second time I've done it, and it will be pretty cool this time because I know a couple of the fishermen on the National Guard team and really built a good friendship with them. I'm looking forward to fishing with them and fishing with my brother, who is a tournament bass fisherman as well. He's going to come down and visit for a day and go fishing with us. Hopefully, I'll catch some fish this time because I didn't catch any last time. And maybe if I get my brother on the boat with me, we'll either end up catching fish together or end up arguing about it the whole day."

LANDON CASSILL (ON HIS BROTHER'S FISHING STYLE.): "There is no pleasure fishing for Zac anymore. He doesn't just drop the anchor and pull out a lawn chair and cast away and reel it back in. He's pretty intense, but it is really fun to watch him because, like racing, fishing is a mentally challenging sport. You're standing up for hours on end, and you're just trying to spot where you think the fish are going to be, and what the fish are doing under the water. You're searching for something you can't see. It's a difficult sport, and he's gotten good at it."

LANDON CASSILL (ON HIS DRIVING STYLE.): "I tend to be a pretty patient driver. It's tough in the Nationwide Series because you're in such a hustle all the time that I haven't felt that patient at all. But I always try to think things through and use patience because you never want to go out there and wreck your equipment early in a race. One thing that I've been working on is taking care of my equipment and being patient."

DALE EARNHARDT JR., OWNER OF JR MOTORSPORTS (ON WHAT ADVICE HE WOULD OFFER YOUNG DRIVERS LIKE LANDON CASSILL.): "It's hard for me to tell people how to do things or to give advice to young guys. They have to be willing to understand and listen. There were people that I looked up to that were experienced and some I didn't who had the same experience -- but you have to be willing to listen and be taught. You have to respect people. I think Landon has a good enough head on his shoulders and, given some time, he will be fine on the track and winning races. Landon, in my eyes, is a good driver. And Landon needs to understand that it's totally up to Landon to make it happen. He has the skills -- he just has to have the confidence and go out and make things happen."