Date: June 28, 2019
Event: Camping World 225 (Race 12 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series
Location: Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. (1.5-mile tri-oval)
Format: Three Segments; 35 laps/35 laps/80 laps
Start/Finish: 13th/6th (running, completed 150 of 150 laps)
Winner: Brett Moffitt of GMS Racing (Chevrolet)
Todd Gilliland and the No. 4 Mobil 1 team earned another top-10 finish in the Camping World 225 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. This was the team’s seventh top-10 in 12 races this season. In three practice sessions on Thursday, Gilliland was third, ninth and 13th respectively. During single-vehicle qualifying on Friday afternoon, Gilliland posted the 13th-fastest lap.
Early in the race, Gilliland struggled to find a line that would agree with his Tundra. By the time the second stage rolled around, the team adjusted the Mobil 1 machine and Gilliland began to improve, working into the top 10. In the final stage, they continued to gain, and eventually Gilliland would bring home a sixth-place finish.
Stage One Recap:
- Gilliland began the race in the 13th position after single-vehicle qualifying on Friday afternoon.
- In the first stage, Gilliland reported that he needed more rear grip, and his Tundra was tight on entry to the corner and loose on exit.
- Following the first stage, crew chief Michael Shelton brought the teenage driver to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments.
Stage Two Recap:
- Gilliland started the second stage in 14th after his pit stop.
- On lap 54, Gilliland made contact with the No. 54, and she was unable to maintain control, spinning and bringing out a caution, but Gilliland was able to avoid any significant damage to the Mobil 1 Tundra.
- During the yellow flag, Gilliland reported that his Tundra “just got way better,” and he finished the second stage in 13th among fierce three-wide battles for position.
- Following the second stage, Shelton brought Gilliland to pit road for four tires and fuel.
Stage Three Recap
- After a fast four-tire stop between stages, Gilliland restarted in ninth.
- The talented teenager continued in the top 10 and charged as high as fifth.
- During the final round of green-flag pit stops, Shelton called Gilliland to pit road with 30 laps to go for four fresh Goodyear tires and Sunoco fuel. Once stops cycled around, Gilliland was in the sixth position.
- The second-generation racer brought his Mobil 1 Tundra across the line in sixth place, earning his seventh top-10 finish of the season.
Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
Talk about your night.
“We were really struggling at the beginning. We made it a lot better on the pit stop. Definitely, have to give it to my guys on that one. We started really bad. I think we were on the splitter too much. We would lose so much on fire-off on restarts. I would get a little bit of it back, but when you lose two seconds on the restart it’s so hard to get it all back. Just got to be a little better about telling the team, little learning things. But way better than I expected to finish when the green flag waved on this one.”
Camping World 225 Recap:
- Brett Moffitt won the race with Brandon Jones, Stewart Friesen, Harrison Burton and Austin Hill rounding out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured five cautions for 27 laps and 12 lead changes among seven drivers.
How Gilliland’s KBM Teammates Fared:
Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 18 Toyota Tundra, finished fourth
Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 51 Toyota Tundra, finished second
NGOTS Championship Standings:
Gilliland and the No. 4 team rank eighth in the Gander Trucks Driver Championship Standings following the 12th race of the season, 156 points behind the leader, Grant Enfinger.
Next Race:
Todd Gilliland and the No. 4 Mobil 1 team will return in two weeks at Kentucky Speedway, on Thursday, July 11. Live coverage of the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 begins at 7:30 p.m. EST on FS1.
