Landon Cassill completes Memorial Day double

Cassill completed a double of his own on racing’s busiest day, driving the No. 40 Chevrolet in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, then turning around and jogging through the night to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

That journey of 13.92 miles took 1 hour, 41 minutes and 49 seconds — a pace of 7 minutes, 19 seconds per mile — and ended at 12:58 a.m. on Memorial Day.

Cassill accepted a hug and kiss from his wife, Kaitlan, rubbed his dog, Indie, and thanked those who came out to watch the end of his run — a group that included some of his crew members, as well as team owner Mike Hillman.

“It was definitely a mental challenge,” Cassill said outside the Hall of Fame, which was lit up in red and neatly contrasted the blaring blue lights from the police vehicles that served as his escorts. “I had to talk to myself a little bit more the last two miles, because it was all uphill. It wasn’t a matter of making it to the end, it was continuing to hold the pace I was holding. You don’t want to let yourself slow down.

“It was a great night.”

All told, it was a 576.42-mile evening for the 25-year-old driver, who completed 375 laps (out of 400) at Charlotte, then stretched in the garage before starting his run.

It wasn’t difficult for Cassill to keep the two distinct events separate: He focused on the race while in the car, then on his pace while running. The event was live-streamed on Periscope by Cassill’s sponsor Snap Fitness, and those tracking his progress were treated to a running dialogue, along with occasional cheers from folks watching Cassill jog by.

The event raised money for the Folds of Honor Foundation, through a partnership with Snap Fitness. For every 30-day trial pass purchased between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Snap Fitness will donate $1 to the foundation that provides scholarships to families of service members killed or disabled in active duty.

Cassill is one of the most active drivers in the garage and routinely logs 30-plus miles of running every week. He also competes in triathlons and says his commitment to fitness is what spurred this idea.

“In terms of my profession, it helps me so much in a race car,” Cassill said. “It gives me the confidence I need to know I’m the best race car driver I can be. It shows my team I’m giving it all. I’m fresher at the end of a race because of my fitness. And also, people need to know how good it feels to be fit and to be healthy.”

Cassill certainly looked that part after the run, bantering easily with his friends and family while cooling down. In fact, he looked like he could run another 14 miles.

Maybe he’ll do another such event in the future?

“I don’t know,” Cassill said with a smile. “Maybe.”