Date: July 27, 2019
Event: Gander RV 150 (Race 14 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series
Location: Pocono Raceway (2.5-mile tri-oval)
Format: Three Segments; 15 laps/15 laps/30 laps
Start/Finish: 7th/7th (Running, completed 60 of 60 laps)
Winner: Ross Chastain of Niece Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Todd Gilliland and the No. 4 JBL team earned a top-10 in the Gander RV 150 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. In two NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series practice sessions on Friday, Gilliland posted the second-fastest lap in the first practice and was fastest in final practice. During single-vehicle qualifying on Friday afternoon, Gilliland posted the seventh-fastest lap. After the green flag flew on Saturday afternoon, Gilliland was able to make his way as high as third in the early stages of the race, but ultimately he would finish in seventh after battling the handling condition on his JBL Tundra.
Stage One Recap:
- After one round of single-vehicle qualifying on Friday afternoon, Gilliland earned the seventh starting position.
- During two cautions at the beginning of the race, Gilliland was able to work the restarts and move up to third.
- Gilliland expressed concerns with the handling of his truck to crew chief Wes Ward, but was able to hang on and finish the stage in the eighth position.
Stage Two Recap:
- Gilliland started the second stage in ninth.
- The teenage driver reported that his Tundra was snappy loose, and he finished the stage in eighth.
- Following the 15-lap stage, Ward brought Gilliland to pit road for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment.
Stage Three Recap
- Gilliland began the final stage in 11th.
- He began to work his way back into the top-10, and was able to climb to seventh in the final 30-lap stage.
- This was Gilliland’s eighth top-10 finish of the season.
Todd Gilliland, driver of the No. 4 JBL Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
How was your race?
“Not real good. Kind of frustrating day just being stuck, getting passed a lot. The first couple restarts worked out for us. We were able to get up to third pretty fast. Then just started that first run really loose on exit. I couldn’t touch the gas. Guys were getting such big runs on me in the straightaways. They are really long here, so it makes a big difference. My guys made a lot of good changes on that one pitstop. We just didn’t have enough time. When you start the race like that, just falling and the momentum is not with you, it’s hard to regain that in one pit stop. I think we still made up quite a bit of ground on how we were. We just have to keep digging.”
Gander Outdoors 150 Recap:
- Ross Chastain won the race with Tyler Ankrum, Harrison Burton, Christian Eckes and Brett Moffitt rounding out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured four cautions for 12 laps and three lead changes among two drivers.
How Gilliland’s KBM Teammates Fared:
Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 18 Toyota Tundra, finished third
Christian Eckes, driver of the No. 51 Toyota Tundra, finished fourth
NGOTS Championship Standings:
Gilliland and the No. 4 team rank seventh in the Gander Trucks Driver Championship Standings following the 14th race of the season, 154 points behind the leader.
Next Race:
Todd Gilliland and the No. 4 JBL/SiriusXM team will return on Thursday, August 1 at Eldora Speedway. Live coverage of the Eldora Dirt Derby begins at 9 p.m. EST on FS1.
