Date: July 11, 2019
Event: Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 (Race 13 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series
Location: Kentucky Speedway (1.5-mile tri-oval)
Format: Three Segments; 35 laps/35 laps/80 laps
Start/Finish: 3rd/17th (Running, completed 145 of 150 laps)
Winner: Tyler Ankrum of DGR-Crosley Racing (Toyota)
Todd Gilliland and the No. 4 Mobil 1 team were running in the top-5 when their bad luck continued, and engine issues crippled their chances at a win on Thursday evening in the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 at Kentucky Speedway. In two NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series practice sessions Thursday morning, Gilliland was 12th and sixth-fastest respectively. During single-vehicle qualifying on Thursday afternoon, Gilliland posted the third-fastest lap.
Gilliland was running firmly in the top-five when engine woes struck in the second stage. The No. 4 Mobil 1 team was unable to diagnose the problem on pit road, but they managed to nurse the ailing Toyota Tundra through most of the third stage before losing power and retiring to the garage with three laps to go in the event. Gilliland recorded a 17th-place finish.
Stage One Recap:
- After one round of single-vehicle qualifying on Thursday afternoon, Gilliland earned the third starting position.
- In the first stage, Gilliland reported that his Tundra was very good, but was a little bit free on entry, and tight in the center and exit of the corner.
- The talented teenager finished the first stage in third.
- Following the stage conclusion, crew chief Michael Shelton called Gilliland to pit road for two right side tires.
Stage Two Recap:
- Gilliland started the second stage in fourth after his pit stop.
- The teenage driver was running fifth when he started to lose power in the No. 4 machine, and Shelton called him to pit road under caution to attempt to diagnose the issue.
- The team was unable to determine the problem and Gilliland returned to the track with an audibly ailing engine in an attempt to complete the race.
Stage Three Recap
- Following another pit stop to work on the engine issues and change tires, Gilliland began the third stage in 15th.
- Unfortunately, the problems with the power plant did not resolve, and Gilliland was unable to do much more than make laps for the final stage.
- With three laps to go, Gilliland lost power completely and Shelton called him in to the garage.
- The teenager recorded a 17th-place finish.
Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
Talk about your night.
“We were running up front there – I think from the very start we had motor problems. Down the straightaways I was really bad. Trying to pass people was really hard, they were able to get such big runs on me at the beginning. We were able to finish the first stage in third, even down on power a lot. It was probably one of the best Tundras I’ve ever had. That’s when it’s the worst. You never have motor problems when you’re in the back anyway. It’s just how it goes. We started off today really, really bad, and to be contending – I think we could have won that race today – it was just a good team effort. We made a lot of good changes today. We just have to keep taking the positives out of it. I don’t know what happened to the motor, but I’m sure they’ll figure it out. We’ll go on to the next few races and we’ve got to win.”
Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 Recap:
- Tyler Ankrum won the race with Stewart Friesen, Harrison Burton, Ross Chastain and Dylan Lupton rounding out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured five cautions for 33 laps and 10 lead changes among seven drivers.
How Gilliland’s KBM Teammates Fared:
Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 18 Toyota Tundra, finished third
Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 51 Toyota Tundra, finished 23rd
NGOTS Championship Standings:
Gilliland and the No. 4 team rank eighth in the Gander Trucks Driver Championship Standings following the 13th race of the season, 150 points behind the leader.
Next Race:
Todd Gilliland and the No. 4 JBL/SiriusXM team will return in two weeks at Pocono Raceway, on Saturday, July 27. Live coverage of the Gander RV 150 begins at 1:00 p.m. EST on FS1.
