NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Overview
Event: Gander Truck Series 250 (Race 18 of 23), 64 Laps – 20/20/24; 157.37 Miles
Location: Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario (2.459-mile road course)
Date/Broadcast: Aug. 25, 2019 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
What You Need to Know
- Todd Gilliland and the No. 4 Mobil 1 team head to the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series’ only road course this weekend, 64 laps on the 2.459-mile Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Gilliland has two starts at the facility, and in 2018 he led 11 laps and took the white flag in the lead, before contact from teammate Noah Gragson on the last turn of the last lap sent Gilliland spinning off track and relegated him to a 11th-place finish.
- Gilliland survived the chaos in Thunder Valley last weekend to earn another top-10 finish. The No. 4 team worked to improve the Mobil 1 Tundra throughout the race and the young driver avoided the multitude of wrecks to bring the machine home in one piece in ninth at Bristol Motor Speedway.
- 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 8.4 and an average finish of 11.5. Gilliland is ranked 11th in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver points standings, after he did not qualify for the playoffs.
- 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.
- The world’s leading synthetic motor oil brand, Mobil 1 features anti-wear technology that provides performance beyond our conventional motor oils. This technology allows Mobil 1 to meet or exceed the toughest standards of car builders and to provide exceptional protection against engine wear, under normal or even some of the most extreme conditions. Mobil 1 flows quickly in extreme temperatures to protect critical engine parts and is designed to maximize engine performance and help extend engine life.
Todd Gilliland, Driver Q&A
We are heading back to Canada, are you looking for redemption from last year?
“Absolutely, last year we had one of our best races, one of our best trucks. We were really fast, both me and Noah. The end sucked, but it is what it is. I think just with the speed we had last year, we had a different motor, so hopefully we have the same kind of speed when we go back there this year. Everyone is working twice as hard to make up for everything, all the little details, so that we can be fighting it out as teammates that much ahead again this year.”
You’re in the same chassis, does that give you some extra confidence?
“Yeah, I think we have a little bit different setup this year with Marcus Richmond not being my crew chief. He’s been really good there in the past, but so has Rudy Fugle and that whole truck, so we’re going a little bit closer, all three of our trucks are really very similar. Hopefully we can all be good and lean on each other. We’ve got a lot of experience in the 51 truck with Alex Tagliani, so we’re really looking forward to working with him and learning what he’s got to offer.”
Todd Gilliland Career Highlights
- In 42 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 Mobil 1 Tundra:
KBM-049: The No. 4 Mobil 1 team has prepared chassis KBM-049 for this weekend’s event at CTMP. This is the same chassis Gilliland piloted last year at the scenic road course, leading 11 laps and going for the win until contact from another vehicle sent him spinning in the final turn. The chassis also recorded a second-place finish at CTMP in 2017 with Noah Gragson behind the wheel.
KBM Notes of Interest
- KBM drivers have collected one win, 65 laps led, six top-five and eight top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 10.6 across 17 starts at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
- Erik Jones captured KBM’s lone victory north of the border in the 2015 event.
- 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).
