While Landon Cassill finished Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 25 laps down and in 39th, the 25-year-old driver made up some of that distance afterward with a one-man race.
Immediately following the conclusion of the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Cassill extended his night by nearly 14 miles.
The Hillman Racing driver spent 1 hour, 41 minutes and 49 seconds of his night running 13.92 miles from the speedway in Concord, N.C., to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in uptown Charlotte, complete with a police escort.
The 14-mile trek came with its own hashtag, #Landon614.
HUGE thank you to the Charlotte Police Department for helping make LC's run possible! #Landon614
— Snap Fitness (@snapfitness) May 25, 2015
When he finally arrived at the Hall of Fame at 12:58 a.m. ET, he was greeted by his wife, Kaitlan, media, fans and his team owner, Mike Hillman.
“It was definitely a mental challenge,” Cassill told NASCAR.com outside the Hall of Fame. “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.”
Made it! What a long day. 13.92mi 1:41:49 7:19/mi avg bpm 155. Thanks @snapfitness and @NASCARHall for tagging along!
— landon cassill (@landoncassill) May 25, 2015
The extra 14 miles for Cassill, who routinely runs about 30 miles a week, wasn’t just for kicks.
The event was part of an effort to raise money for the Folds of Honor Foundation in a partnership with Snap Fitness, who sponsored Cassill’s No. 40 in the Coke 600.
“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.”
@landoncassill stretching out before his 14 mile run from @CLTMotorSpdwy to #NASCARHall #Landon614 #SnapNation pic.twitter.com/TCi1kWSnOI
— NASCAR Hall of Fame (@NASCARHall) May 25, 2015
And he's off! @landoncassill begins his "cooldown" run to #NASCARHall #NASCAR #Landon614 pic.twitter.com/3IeESXvghv
— NASCAR Hall of Fame (@NASCARHall) May 25, 2015