NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview
Event: UNOH 200, Race 15 of 23, 200 Laps – 55/55/90; 106.6 Miles
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (0.533-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: Aug. 16, 2018 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
What You Need to Know
- Gilliland has no prior NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) starts at Bristol, but he won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race in April after leading 64 of 150 laps. He also posted top-10 finishes in his two previous K&N starts there in 2016 and 2017.
- Bristol marks the final regular-season race of the NCWTS season, which means Gilliland must win this race to make the playoffs in his rookie season.
- 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 11 NCWTS starts this season, Gilliland has two top-five, seven top-10 finishes and has led 80 laps. He led a race-high 62 laps at Texas Motor Speedway. Despite only competing in 11 of the 14 races due to age restrictions, he currently ranks 12th in the Truck Series championship standings.
Todd Gilliland, Driver Q&A
Does going into Bristol give you more confidence since you have won there in the past?
“I think before the K&N race I didn’t have much confidence going in there, but then after going there in the spring time with my same team, a little different race car, but I have all the confidence in the world in them that we can do it again.”
Describe a lap at Bristol:
“It goes really fast. You don’t have much time to think about anything and that’s the biggest thing is kind of go out and do it instead of a place like Michigan, or Pocono, where you have so much time to think about the things that can go wrong.”
Winning this race is your last chance to make the playoffs. Are you glad it’s Bristol versus an intermediate track?
“I feel like everyone at Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) brings such fast trucks everywhere that we’ve had a chance to win every week when we show up to the race track. I do have confidence in myself there being a short track, but as far as the truck goes I think we have a chance to win every week.”
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 Banfield Pet Hospital Tundra:
KBM-043: The No. 4 Banfield team will race KBM-043, for Thursday’s race at Bristol. This Tundra was previously part of the No. 51 team’s fleet and raced three times this season by Brandon Jones (ninth at Kansas and fifth at Chicago) and Spencer Davis (ninth at Texas).
KBM Notes of Interest
- KBM drivers have collected three wins, four poles, 496 laps led, six top-five and nine top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.9 across 18 starts at Bristol
- Driver-owner Kyle Busch has claimed all of KBM’s victories at Bristol winning in 2010, 2013 and 2017
- After Michigan, the No. 4 team has two poles with David Gilliland (Daytona) and Kyle Busch (Atlanta), three top-five and eight top-10 finishes and is ranked seventh in the owner’s championship standings
- KBM holds the NCWTS records for most career wins (68) 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).
