Date: July 18, 2018
Event: Eldora Dirt Derby (Race 13 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Location: Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio (0.5-mile dirt oval)
Format: Three Segments; 40 laps/50 laps/60 laps
Start/Finish: 2nd / 22nd (running, completed 153 of 153 laps)
Winner: Chase Briscoe of ThorSport Racing (Ford)
Wednesday night was Todd Gilliland’s first race at Eldora Speedway, but the rookie learned fast and nearly scored a top-five finish in his No. 4 JBL/SiriusXM Tundra. He won the second qualifying race, which put him on the front row to start the 150-lap main event. He was fifth with 13 laps to go, but after getting hit by another competitor, spun to restart 20th and finish 22nd.
Stage One Recap:
- Gilliland started second in the No. 4 JBL/SiriusXM Tundra after winning the second 10-lap qualifying race.
- The truck lacked grip throughout the first 40-lap stage and he fell back to 13th to finish Stage One.
- During the break, he pitted for four tires and adjustments to help the handling for the remainder of the race.
Stage Two Recap:
- Gilliland was 16th when the race resumed on lap 43 since a few trucks stayed out and restarted ahead of him.
- He narrowly avoided two trucks spinning in front of him on lap 53 and was up to 10th by lap 61.
- He said there was still no grip on the track, but he finished the second stage in sixth place on lap 90.
- The team opted not to pit during the break to gain track position.
Stage Three Recap:
- Gilliland started the final 60-lap stage in third place.
- While running fifth after a restart on lap 137, he was hit by Myatt Snider and spun, which cost him valuable track position.
- He was 20th with five laps to go, but another caution slowed the race creating a green-white-checker finish.
- With a wild two-lap shootout to end the race, Gilliland finished 22nd.
Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 4 JBL/SiriusXM Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
Talk about your first race at Eldora?
“It’s a mess, but you know it’s Eldora. You watch it every year and then you’re a part of it. You have to be one of those top three guys to really be ahead of all of the junk. We were kind of that bump for today. You know we let the junk get to us one too many times and just got turned right there and then we just got back in the pack with four laps to go. Overall, I think I learned a lot. We ran inside the top-five and that’s what it’s all about to learn for next year.”
Eldora Dirt Derby Recap:
- Chase Biscoe won race followed by Grant Enfinger, Stewart Friesen, Matt Crafton and Brett Moffitt rounded out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured nine cautions for a total of 41 laps. There were seven lead changes among five drivers. KBM’s Logan Seavey led 53 laps.
How Gilliland’s KBM Teammates Fared:
- Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 6th
- Logan Seavey, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 8th
NCWTS Owner Championship Standings:
The No. 4 team fell two positions to seventh in the Truck Series Owner’s Championship Standings. Gilliland is 13th in the Driver Championship Standings, 133 points out of eighth place which is the final cutoff for the playoffs.
Next Race:
The Truck Series returns to action Saturday, July 28 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Live coverage of the race begins at 1 p.m. ET on FS1.
