Date: September 14, 2018
Event: World of Westgate 200 (Race 18 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location: Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Format: Three Segments; 30 laps/30 laps/74 laps
Start/Finish: 10th / 27th (accident, completed 86 of 144 laps)
Winner: Grant Enfinger of ThorSport Racing (Ford)
Todd Gilliland made his first start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Friday night and hoped to hit the jackpot, but his luck ran out instead. After leading five laps to start the final stage, Gilliland hit the wall on lap 83, which ended his night prematurely in 27th place.
Stage One Recap:
- Gilliland started 10th and moved up to second place after a great restart on lap 13.
- He was fourth when the stage ended on lap 30 and pitted for right-side tires on lap 33.
Stage Two Recap:
- With the two-tire stop, he was third to start the next 30-lap stage.
- His JBL/SiriusXM Tundra was not handling as well on just two fresh tires, so when a caution came on lap 47 the team used the opportunity to bring him back to pit road for four tires.
- Although he was back in 26th place when the race resumed on lap 50, he was able to stay out when Stage Two ended and assume the lead.
Stage Three Recap:
- Gilliland restarted the final stage in the lead, but fell back to fourth a few laps into the run.
- While side drafting with another truck on lap 83, he got loose and spun into the wall. He came to pit road for the team to survey the damage and make what repairs they could in the time NASCAR allows on pit road.
- After making another lap, he was forced to retire his Tundra to the garage for the night with a 27th-place finish.
Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 4 JBL/SiriusXM Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
What happened in the accident which ended your night?
“I was trying to get a little bit of a side draft off the 52 (Stewart Freisen) and I had a really good run on him. I was trying to pull him off of turn four to get some momentum getting into turn one and the 97 (Jesse Little) was just right there at my bumper cover and I just kind of went up and hooked myself into the wall. Nonetheless, I’m still really proud of this JBL/SiriusXM Toyota Tundra that we brought to the race track. I felt like we could really race around other trucks like I haven’t been able to before. We’re learning every week and that’s what it’s all about. Tough to have a couple weeks off now, but we have to stay in the game and stay focused on business.”
World of Westgate 200 Recap:
- Grant Enfinger won the race followed by Johnny Sauter, Justin Haley, Ben Rhodes and Matt Crafton rounded out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured 11 cautions for a total of 47 laps. There were 21 lead changes among nine drivers. Gilliland led five laps while his KBM teammate Noah Gragson led 33.
How Gilliland’s KBM Teammates Fared:
- Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 18th
- Riley Herbst, driver of the No. 46 Toyota, finished 29th
- Brandon Jones, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 26th
NCWTS Championship Standings:
The No. 4 team slipped to 11th in the Truck Series Owner’s Championship Standings, while Gilliland remains 10th in the Driver Championship Standings.
Next Race:
The Truck Series takes three weeks off and returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 13 at Talladega Superspeedway. Live coverage of the race begins at 1 p.m. ET on FS1.
