NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview
Event: Eldora Dirt Derby, Race 13 of 23, 150 Laps – 40/50/60; 75 Miles
Location: Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio (0.5-mile dirt oval)
Date/Broadcast: July 18, 2018 at 9 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
What You Need to Know
- Gilliland has no prior starts at Eldora. The rookie’s only experience racing on dirt was a Street Stock race at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, Calif., where he finished fifth in 2015.
- Veteran crew chief Marcus Richmond helped coach Kyle Busch Motorsports’ (KBM) Noah Gragson to a seventh-place finish in his rookie season last year. Richmond also finished sixth with Cole Custer at Eldora in 2016.
- Gilliland earned his best career finish in the NCWTS at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill., on June 23 when he jumped up to second place during a two-lap shootout on the final restart.
- In eight NCWTS starts this season, Gilliland has one top-five, five top-10 finishes and has led 65 laps. He led a race-high 62 laps at Texas Motor Speedway. Despite only competing in eight of the 12 races due to age restrictions, he currently ranks 13h in the Truck Series championship standings and is 125 points out of the eighth and final playoff spot.
Todd Gilliland, Driver Q&A
What are your expectations for racing on dirt at Eldora?
“Well, not having a dirt background or anything, we did a little dirt testing this week and going into Eldora you really just have to be open-minded. I think we can run good, it’s just going to be about making good changes and being able to adapt to the race track as quickly as possible.”
You raced on a half-mile dirt track once in a Street Stock race in California. How did that go?
“It went pretty good, I finished fifth and there was like 30 cars there. That was a long time ago (2015) so I don’t remember much, but I’m pretty sure these things (the trucks) are going to drive worse than a Street Stock. We’ll see when we get out there.”
Who have you asked for advice about dirt racing?
“My Dad (David Gilliland) used to race dirt at that same track I raced at a few years ago, so just having him to be able to tell me even the basic stuff is going to be really good. Also, my crew chief Marcus Richmond has been to every single truck race at Eldora so that’s what it’s going to be about – bringing all our minds together and hopefully getting the best finish possible.”
Todd Gilliland Career Highlights
- Won this year’s season-opening NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race in January at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway and won again at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in April
- Won a second consecutive NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship in 2017 after recording six wins, seven poles, 937 laps led, 11 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes across 14 starts
- Ran six NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races for KBM in 2017, scoring a career-best third-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon
- Crowned the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion after collecting six wins, six poles, 11 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes, making him the youngest champion in the history of any NASCAR national or touring series
Todd Gilliland’s No. 4 JBL/SiriusXM Tundra:
KBM-046: The No. 4 JBL/SiriusXM team will race KBM-046, for Wednesday’s race at Eldora. This Tundra was raced three times in 2017. Once by Kyle Busch at Michigan and twice by Myatt Snider at Chicago and Las Vegas.
KBM Notes of Interest
- KBM drivers have collected two wins, one pole, 249 laps led, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.3 across 14 starts at Eldora
- Darrell Wallace Jr. won the event in 2014 and Christopher Bell was victorious in 2015
- After Kentucky, the No. 4 team has two poles with David Gilliland (Daytona) and Kyle Busch (Atlanta), two top-five and six top-10 finishes and is ranked fifth in the owner’s championship standings
- KBM holds the NCWTS records for most career wins (67) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). In addition to collecting a series-record six Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers; Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
