NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Overview:
Event: NextEra Energy Resources 250 (Race 1 of 23), 100 Laps – 20/20/60; 250 Miles
Location: Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (2.5-mile oval superspeedway)
Date/Broadcast: Feb. 15, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN and Sirius/XM NASCAR 90
What You Need to Know:
- This will be Todd Gilliland’s first NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series start at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. Last week he made his first ever start at the famed superspeedway in the ARCA Racing Series and finished second behind KBM teammate Harrison Burton.
- The 18-year-old embarks on his first full time NGOTS season behind the wheel of the No. 4 JBL/Sirius XM Toyota Tundra in 2019 with veteran crew chief Marcus Richmond.
- Richmond has one NGOTS win at Daytona in 2016 with Johnny Sauter.
- In 19 NGOTS starts for KBM last season, the Sherrill’s Ford, N.C., native has one pole, four top-five, nine top-10 finishes and led 208 laps. Gilliland earned a career-best second-place finish in the NGOTS at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill., on June 23. He led a race-high 62 laps at Texas Motor Speedway in June and another 60 laps in November, including the final lap before running out of fuel on the backstretch coming to the checkered flag.
Todd Gilliland, Driver Q&A:
How is Daytona different than other races?
Just walking into the tunnel at Daytona is incredible. Looking up at the grandstands and seeing the World Center of Racing. Just the history that’s been made there as well as the people that you’re racing against. A lot of people have raced there but very few have won and hopefully we can be a part of that group.
You just made your first start at Daytona in the ARCA Series race, how will that help you in the trucks this weekend?
Before Daytona last weekend all I had was a little bit of experience at Talladega in the truck race. Daytona is a lot more narrow. I think it’s going to be a lot easier to hold your track position whether you are stuck in the back or at the front. It’s just going to be more important to not make mistakes and not get shuffled out of line and stuff like that. Just going to be smarter all day I feel like. Pit stops are more important. No better way to start off the year than such a big event.
Is it special to race against your dad at Daytona?
Yes, absolutely. Especially in a superspeedway race. I feel like their truck is going to be good too, but we’re going to be better, hopefully and just beat him. He was at Talladega too as my teammate at KBM, but I feel like I still have a little bit of teammate in him even at different companies. It’s a lot of fun. Still someone to lean on and get a lot of information from. I feel like he’s always there to help.
Todd Gilliland Career Highlights:
- Won in two of three starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2018. Once in January at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway and 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, N.H.
- 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 Tundra:
KBM-040: The No. 4 JBL/SiriusXM team will race KBM-040 for Friday’s Next Era Energy Resources 250 at Daytona. This is the same chassis Gilliland raced in the fall at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and that his father, David Gilliland sat on the pole with at Daytona in 2018.
KBM Notes of Interest:
- KBM drivers have collected one win, 79 laps led, four top-five and eight top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 11.0 across 22 starts at Daytona
- Team owner Kyle Busch picked up the organization’s only victory at Daytona in the season opener in 2014, edging fellow Toyota competitor Timothy Peters.
- In 2018, the No. 4 team had three poles with David Gilliland (Daytona), Kyle Busch (Atlanta) and Todd Gilliland (fall Martinsville), five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes and finished the season ranked 11th in the owner’s championship standings
- KBM holds the NGOTS 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).
