NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Overview
Event: World of Westgate 200 (Race 19 of 23), 134 Laps – 30/30/74; 201 Miles
Location: Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile tri-oval)
Date/Broadcast: Sept. 13, 2019 at 9 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
What You Need to Know
- Todd Gilliland and the No. 4 JBL team head back to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the World of Westgate 200 this Friday night. The young driver has two starts at the 1.5-mile facility, with one top-10 finish, an average starting position of 11.5 and an average finish of 17.0. Earlier this season at Las Vegas, he came from the 13th starting position to finish seventh.
- So far in 2019, Gilliland has recorded one pole, 53 laps led, three top-five and 10 top-10 finishes and has an average starting position of 8.1 and an average finish of 11.9. Gilliland is ranked 12th in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver points standings. The last time the Gander Truck Series was on track at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Gilliland was on track for a strong top-five finish after an early spin when engine woes got the best of the No. 4 team and he finished 18th.
- Wes Ward, who has served as shop foreman at KBM since 2015, moves over to the role of full-time crew chief and will be atop the box for Gilliland for the remainder of the 2019 season. Ward is a veteran crew chief with more than 300 Xfinity Series races on his resume, as well as 17 Gander Trucks races with two victories. Ward’s drivers have nine NXS starts at LVMS and one Gander Trucks start with two top-10 finishes.
- Voting for the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series started last week. To cast your vote for Gilliland, go to www.nascar.com/ganderoutdoorsmostpopulardriver Follow and show your support with hashtag #Vote4Todd
- Gilliland will sport a special paint scheme this weekend promoting JBL Fest. This October 9 –11, Las Vegas will play host to the biggest performers, entertainers and athletes. The superstar lineup will take this immersive three-day experience to the next level with a headline performance by JBL’s newest ambassador and multi-platinum award-winning global superstar Khalid, along with special appearances by fellow ambassador Priyanka Chopra Jonas and basketball legend Shaquille “DJ Diesel” O’Neal. World-renowned DJ Armin Van Buuren, global pop-sensation Bebe Rexha, R&B pop artist and JBL ambassador Mabel, and hip-hop’s famed RUN DMC will also take the stage throughout the week. JBL Fest continues to captivate attendees year after year, providing unique opportunity to see, hear, and feel its amazing sound in a setting that lets them live the moment, and be truly immersed in the JBL brand. This years’ guests will once again have a front row seat to iconic moments, amazing performances and more, all elevated by JBL Signature Sound. For more information visit www.JBLFEST.com
Todd Gilliland, Driver Q&A
What are your expectations for this weekend?
“Same as every week. I feel like we can go there and compete for a win. I think still just trying to get consistent, we’ve ran good at Vegas in the past and I feel like we’ve qualified good and raced good and just haven’t gotten the finishes. Everything gets turned up even more I feel like at this race track than anywhere else. Restarts get a little crazier, this is a place that if you get stuck on the bottom you can lose four or five spots pretty fast. You just have to be smart and put yourself in the right positions, because everything is magnified this week compared to others.”
How is Las Vegas Motor Speedway different than the other 1.5-mile tracks we go to?
“I think the difference is the difference in the two races throughout the year. We go there in the springtime and it’s really cool and the race track has a ton of grip, then we go here in the fall, basically the end of summer, and it’s still really hot there and the track has a lot less grip and you’re able to move around a lot more, so I really enjoyed the fall race a lot more last year. Multiple lanes is what a driver wants and Vegas really brings that to the table in the second race.”
Todd Gilliland Career Highlights
- In 43 career Gander Trucks starts has collected two poles, nine top-five and 22 top-10 finishes and led 261 laps. Gilliland earned a career-best second-place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in Madison, Ill., in June of 2018, and followed up with another runner-up finish at Gateway in 2019.
- Has posted two wins, two poles, six top-five and eight top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 5.6 across nine 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 23 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East starts has accumulated seven wins, two poles, 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 4.5. His most recent victory came at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in April of 2018.
Todd Gilliland’s No. 4 JBL Tundra:
KBM-060: The No. 4 JBL team has prepared chassis KBM-060 for this weekend’s World of Westgate 200. This chassis is the one that Gilliland piloted to a second-place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway earlier this season. It also raced at Kentucky Speedway, where he was running in the top-five when his engine expired late in the race.
KBM Notes of Interest
- KBM drivers have earned three wins, 418 laps led, eight top-five and 13 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 12.4 across 27 starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
- Erik Jones earned the organization’s first victory at Las Vegas in September of 2014, and owner-driver Kyle Busch drove his way to Victory Lane in the March events in 2018 and 2019.
- KBM holds the Gander Truck Series records for most career wins (74) 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).
