Early Contact Results in 17th-Place Finish for Gilliland at Phoenix

Date:         November 9, 2018
Event:         Lucas Oil 150 (Race 22 of 23)
Series:        NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location:   ISM Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. (one-mile oval)
Format: Three Segments; 45 laps/45 laps/60 laps
Start/Finish: 10^th / 17^th (running, completed 150 of 150 laps)
Winner:      Brett Moffitt of Hattori Racing (Toyota)

Todd Gilliland came to ISM Raceway hoping to capture his first win of the season after just missing it last weekend in Texas. It was not meant to be, however, as contact from another truck early in the race cost him a lap while making repairs on pit road. It took him nearly the entire race to return to the lead lap, leaving him with a 17^th-place finish.

Stage One Recap:

• Gilliland started in 10^th, but was clipped by the No. 17 Tundra on lap 27 causing both trucks to spin.
• He came to pit road for repairs to the right-rear quarterpanel, but lost a lap to the leaders while in the pits.
• He finished the first 45-lap stage in 23^rd place, one lap down and pitted for four tires when he was able to bring his PEDIGREE® Tundra to pit road.

Stage Two Recap:

• When Stage Two began Gilliland was in 27^th and still one lap down.
• He was in position to be the lucky dog a few times throughout the second stage, but was never able to get a caution when he needed it to regain his lap.
• When the second 45-lap stage ended he was 22^nd and pitted again for four tires.

Stage Three Recap:

• Gilliland restarted the final stage in 21^st place, one lap down.
• He was running lap times as fast as the 10^th-place truck, but could not catch a break to get his lap back.
• A caution with nine laps to go put him back on the lead lap. He pitted for four tires and restarted 19^th with three laps remaining.
• He gained two positions in the final laps to finish 17^th.

Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 4 PEDIGREE® Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:

What happened early in the race?

“We were just biding our time. The PEDIGREE® Tundra wasn’t exactly where we wanted it to be handling-wise. Just another truck there clipped us in the left rear and we both spun out. We went a lap down on pit road and it took us the entire race to get our lap back. It was just a tough night. If we would have got our lap back sooner, we could have finished a few spots better. Overall, there is still a lot to learn. We just have to take every race one at a time and we’ll go on to Homestead.”

Lucas Oil 150 Recap:

• Brett Moffitt won the race followed by KBM’s Noah Gragson and Harrison Burton, Grant Enfinger and Stewart Friesen rounded out the top-five finishers.
• The race featured five cautions for a total of 33 laps. There were eight lead changes among six drivers. KBM’s Burton led 46 laps and Gragson led 43.

How Gilliland’s KBM Teammates Fared:

• Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 2^nd
• Christian Eckes, driver of the No. 46 Toyota, finished 9^th
• Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 3^rd

NCWTS Championship Standings:

The No. 4 team remains 11^th in the Truck Series Owner’s Championship Standings, while Gilliland remains 10^th in the Driver Championship Standings.

Next Race:

The Truck Series returns to action on Friday, Nov. 16 for the season finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway. Live coverage of the race begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1.