NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series Overview
Event: NGOTS 250 (Race 4 of 23), 250 Laps – 70/70/110; 131.5 Miles
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: March 23, 2019 at 2 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and Sirius/XM NASCAR 90
What You Need to Know
- Todd Gilliland overcame damage to the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra to score another top-10 finish in the Strat 200 at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway. Gilliland qualified his machine in the 13th position, but quickly moved into the top 10, where he stayed for the remainder of the race, before bringing it home in the 7th position.
- Gilliland has three starts at Martinsville Speedway, including last fall, where he started from the pole and led 39 laps before finishing 12th. He has one top-five and one top-10 finish and has earned an average start of 12.3 and an average finish of 10.3.
- 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 three NGOTS wins at Martinsville. One each with Noah Gragson (2017), Kevin Harvick (2012) and Dennis Setzer (2008).
- In 28 NGOTS starts for KBM, Gilliland has amassed six top-five finishes, 14 top-10 finishes and one pole position. His average starting position is 7.6 and his average finish is 12.1.
- 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
You have three starts at Martinsville, does that give you any extra confidence heading into this weekend?
“I think just going to a short track in general is something a lot of drivers are excited about. Especially here at Kyle Busch Motorsports with Harrison (Burton) and Raphael (Lessard) in the fourth truck. I think we have a lot of opportunities to help each other out this weekend and I think that’s the biggest thing for all of us to be the best we can. It’s going to be a great team weekend.”
What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of Martinsville?
“I think just staying patient. In the springtime last year, I had one of the fastest trucks and I had to start in the back and I drove all the way up to the lead or second place. I was just too aggressive getting there too early in the race. You have to manage the race in really different segments of aggressiveness and just being able to make it to the end with your truck in one piece is a big part of it and then just putting yourself in smart positions all day.”
Todd Gilliland Career Highlights
- In 19 NGOTS starts for KBM last season, the Sherrill’s Ford, N.C., native had 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.
- 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 Gander Outdoors 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 Mobil 1 Tundra:
KBM-025: The No. 4 Mobil 1 team will race KBM-025 at Martinsville Speedway for Saturday’s NGOTS 250. This chassis has 13 starts and two wins, including one at Martinsville with Noah Gragson in October of 2017. Last fall at Martinsville, Gilliland earned his first career pole with this chassis and finished 12th. The Tundras other win came with Christopher Bell behind the wheel at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill. in June of 2016.
KBM Notes of Interest
- In 47 starts at the “Paperclip,” KBM drivers have collected six wins (Denny Hamlin, Oct. 2011, 2012; Darrell Wallace Jr., Oct. 2013, 2014; Kyle Busch, March 2016; Noah Gragson, Oct. 2017), four pole positions (Kyle Busch, Oct. 2010; Denny Hamlin, Oct. 2013; Darrell Wallace Jr., Oct. 2014; Todd Gilliland, Oct. 2018), 20 top-five and 34 top-10 finishes, with a collective average starting position of 9.0 and an average finish of 8.3.
- KBM holds the NGOTS records for most career wins (70) 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).
