NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Overview
Event: North Carolina Education Lottery 200, Race 7 of 23, 134 Laps – 30/30/74; 201 Miles
Location: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval)
Date/Broadcast: May 18, 2018 at 8:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR 90
What You Need to Know
- Gilliland has no prior starts at Charlotte. This will be his first start at a 1.5-mile track since turning 18 on Tuesday, May 15. He is now eligible to compete full time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) in Kyle Busch Motorsports’ (KBM) No. 4 Tundra.
- Although Gilliland was not old enough to test the truck at Charlotte, he was able to get some laps in the DGR-Crosley ARCA car last week since he will be running the ARCA race there on May 24.
- He opened his 2018 schedule with a 14th-place finish at Martinsville in March after leading a lap and running up front most of the race. A late-race pit stop did not give him enough time to return to the front of the field. He finished 10th at Dover despite being a lap down after an alternator failure in the final stage of the race which forced the team to replace the battery under caution.
- Gilliland competed in six races in 2017, posting a pair of top-five and three top-10 finishes. He had a best finish of third at New Hampshire and crossed the line fifth at Martinsville in the fall.
- PEDIGREE® will be Gilliland’s primary sponsor for six NCWTS races this season. The PEDIGREE® Brand is the No. 1 brand of dog food and treats in the world, feeding more dogs than any other brand. The PEDIGREE® Brand offers a wide variety of products and formats for dogs at every life stage. The PEDIGREE® Brand is built on an unwavering love for all dogs and a commitment to dog adoption. For more information, visit www.pedigree.com.
Todd Gilliland, Driver Q&A
How does it feel to be 18 and finally able to drive the No. 4 Tundra full time?
“It feels great. It’s something I’ve been waiting for all year. It’s never a good feeling seeing other people getting in your truck, and now we can focus on getting consistent. We’ve got the same people every week and I think it’s going to be a great thing for our team.
How have you prepared for your first 1.5-mile track?
“We’ve done a lot of simulator work and just recently I got to test the ARCA car at Charlotte, so we’re doing as much as we can, but it’s been really hard with the age limits. My first laps in the truck there are going to be Friday in truck practice.
Do you consider Charlotte your home track even though you have never raced there before?
“I think so. Just living around here it’s cool to see how busy this area gets during the week and just being a part of that is always fun. You always get to go out there and watch the Coke 600 and all the huge races out there. Now getting to be a part of the big two weekends out here is going to be fun.”
Todd Gilliland Career Highlights
- Won this year’s season-opening NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race in January at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway and won 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
Todd Gilliland’s No. 4 PEDIGREE® Tundra:
KBM-045: The No. 4 PEDIGREE® team will race KBM-045, for Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch won with this Tundra at Charlotte in 2017 and also raced it at Atlanta in February where he sat on the pole.
KBM Notes of Interest
- After Kansas, the No. 4 team has two poles with David Gilliland (Daytona) and Kyle Busch (Atlanta), one top-five and two top-10 finishes and is ranked third in the owner’s championship standings
- KBM holds the NCWTS records for most career wins (67) 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).
- KBM drivers have collected five wins, three poles, 524 laps led, nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 9.8 across 20 starts at CMS
- Owner-driver Kyle Busch has collected all five of his team’s wins at the 1.5-mile track (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2017)
- In the 2014 event at the North Carolina track, Busch started on the pole and led 130 of the 134 laps
