NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Overview
Event: Digital Ally 250 (Race 7 of 23), 167 Laps – 40/40/87; 250.5 Miles
Location: Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (1.5-mile tri-oval)
Date/Broadcast: May 10, 2019 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
What You Need to Know
- Todd Gilliland is behind the wheel of the Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) No. 4 JBL/SiriusXM Tundra at Kansas Speedway this weekend. This will be the teenager’s first NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series start at the 1.5-mile oval, but he does have one ARCA start at the facility in 2018.
- Last weekend at Dover International Speedway, Todd Gilliland continued a streak of bad luck when he was caught up in two on track incidents, resulting in a 15th-place finish. The young driver began the race in 14th after single-truck qualifying, but the team worked on the handling throughout the day until Gilliland’s lap times were equal to the leaders. As he was on the move toward the front, he was caught up in two separate incidents, effectively ending his chances at a win.
- So far in 2019, Gilliland has recorded two top-10 finishes and has an average starting position of 10.0 and an average finish of 13.2. He currently ranks ninth in the Gander Trucks championship standings with six races completed.
- This is 18-year-old’s first full time NGOTS season behind the wheel of the No. 4 Toyota Tundra. He is once again paired with veteran crew chief Marcus Richmond. Richmond has earned 10 wins, 61 top-five and 131 top-ten finishes in 271 Gander Truck Series starts with drivers including Dennis Setzer, Ty Dillon, Timothy Peters, Johnny Sauter and Noah Gragson. Richmond’s best result at Kansas Speedway is a runner-up finish with owner-driver Kyle Busch in 2018.
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Todd Gilliland, Driver Q&A
How does your experience in the ARCA Racing Series help you for your first start at Kansas Speedway in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series?
“I really liked the track when I ran the ARCA car there. You get a real sensation of speed there, which should translate over to our JBL Tundra also. We’re hoping to be able to move around and find some speed and really work on getting some momentum going for the rest of the season.”
Todd Gilliland Career Highlights
- Across 31 career Gander Trucks starts has collected one pole, six top-five, 14 top-10 finishes and led 209 laps. Gilliland earned a career-best second-place finish at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill., in June of 2018.
- Has posted two wins, one pole, five top-five and seven top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 6.0 across eight career ARCA Racing Series starts. He became the youngest winner in series history with his victory at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway two days after his 15th birthday in May of 2015 and his most recent win came at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on May 3, 2019.
- 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. Won a second consecutive 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.
- In 22 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East starts has accumulated seven wins, two poles, 15 top-five and 20 top-finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.4. His most recent victory came at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in April of 2018.
Todd Gilliland’s No. 4 JBL/SiriusXM Tundra:
KBM-052: The No. 4 JBL/SiriusXM team will unload KBM-052 at Kansas Speedway for Friday’s Digital Ally 250. This chassis has four starts, with an average starting spot of 5.0 and an average finish of 8.0. It was last on track earlier this season at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where Gilliland finished ninth.
KBM Notes of Interest
- KBM drivers have recorded four wins, four poles, 597 laps led, nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.7 across 21 starts at Kansas Speedway.
- Owner-driver Kyle Busch earned the first KBM victory at Kansas Speedway in 2014, and KBM drivers have won the last three Gander Trucks contests at the 1.5-mile oval, William Byron in 2016, Busch in 2017 and Noah Gragson in 2018.
- KBM holds the Gander Truck Series records for most career wins (72) 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).
