What a wild week it’s been. From fishing to taking my first spin in the truck race to gearing up for Richmond -- the time is just flying by.

So let’s start with last Wednesday, when my No. 5 JR Motorsports team and I went fishing in the National Guard Fishing Challenge Competition at Mountain Island Lake near the Charlotte area. This was my second time in the tournament, and it was a pretty cool experience because we get to fish with professional FLW bass anglers. It's neat to be in their environment, and it's especially cool to see how some of the trickiest things such as casting, and setting a hook, and other fishing techniques look so easy when the professionals do it. I guess that’s why they are the pros.

My 20-year-old brother, Zac, made it out for the event, so fishing with him and the National Guard’s FLW angler Ramie Colson made it even more fun. Zac is a professional bass angler in the FLW Stren Series so he’s just as intense about his fishing as I am about racing. I love to watch Zac do what he does best, and it was neat to be right there in on the action. It was also cool to see my team have a good time out on the lake. We all have very hectic schedules, so for them to be able to have a fun, relaxing morning on the water was a great thing. I’ve included a photo of me, my brother Zac and Ramie from the event last week.

After the tournament -- which I didn’t win, by the way -- I had to start getting ready for my debut in the Craftsman Truck Series. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but when the Morgan Dollar Motorsports team asked for my help at Kansas Speedway, I was happy to give it a shot. I got the call on Tuesday to drive for the team, so last minute, I went to their shop to meet the team and also get my seat fitted for my truck. Extra seat time always is a good thing. The truck -- the No. 46 Chevrolet -- was good, and I felt like I caught on really fast. Finishing 13th was a great confidence booster for me.

The IndyCar Series was at Kansas last weekend, too, so I got to meet Vitor Meira. Vitor drives the No. 4 Delphi National Guard car. He was a really cool guy and was very interested in checking out my type of race car. I was very impressed with his knowledge for NASCAR. He obviously follows the sport to an extent and had a lot of good questions about our cars. I really liked sitting in his IRL car too. It was a much different experience from what I’m used to. I couldn't believe how little space there is inside his car and how high-tech the steering wheel was with all its buttons and stuff. It definitely looked like something I’d enjoy driving! I’ve included another photo for this week’s blog – it’s a photo of me inside Vitor’s car and him showing me things – such a cool experience!

Now I’m getting ready for this week to compete at Richmond in the Nationwide Series, driving the No. 5 National Guard Chevrolet. But I can’t sign off without sharing what music has my attention right now. This week I bought a copy of what is probably the best album that ever has been known to music – “How the West Was Won” by Led Zeppelin. It’s a multi-disc set, and it’s tough to skip any one of the songs. It’s definitely some classic rock from way before my time, but I still love it. I’ve also been listening to Forever the Sickest Kids all week. The band’s album comes out today, so make sure to check it out.

In the meantime, keep your e-mails and questions coming -- landoncassillfoxblog@live.com. And don’t forget to flip over to ESPN2 on Friday at 7 p.m., ET to watch me in my fourth NASCAR Nationwide Series race of the season.

Cheers!

Landon

“Nawlinz” wrote:

Dale Jr said you were having trouble getting approved for some races early on, well what exactly do you have to do to get approved to run all the races?

LC: NASCAR has an approval process that rookie drivers have to go through in order to drive at certain tracks. The approval process includes different stages depending on the size of the race track. Rookie drivers have to keep record on their racing resume with what experience they have and what tracks they’ve raced at. From there, NASCAR has a committee that reviews the resumes and then your eligibility is decided on what they think is best for the driver. Of course, they have the driver in their best interest because they want everyone to be safe on the track.

“mack9799” wrote:

Landon, what is the biggest difference in driving a craftsman truck and a stock car?

LC: A truck in the Craftsman Truck Series has a lot more drag and down force than a stock car. It also has a longer wheel base. All those aspects combined make the truck more forgiving, but you also have to push it a little further – pretty much, you have be on the gas more and push and run the truck harder. Because the truck’s body punches such a big hole in the air, the truck moves around a lot in traffic and depends a lot on clean air.