Date: March 1, 2019
Event: Strat 200 (Race 3 of 23)
Series: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series
Location: Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway (1.5-mile quad-oval)
Format: Three Segments; 30 laps/30 laps/74 laps
Start/Finish: 13th / 7th (running, completed 134 of 134 laps)
Winner: Kyle Busch of Kyle Busch Motorsports (Toyota)
Todd Gilliland overcame damage to the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra to score another top-10 finish in the Strat 200 at Las Vegas 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.
Stage One Recap:
- Gilliland started the Strat 200 in the 13th position, but quickly moved into the top 10 by the first caution period on lap 7.
- The 18-year-old reported that his Tundra was really coming to him after the first run.
- Following the first stage, Richmond brought Gilliland to pit road for two fresh tires, fuel and adjustments to address the handling condition.
Stage Two Recap:
- Gilliland began the second stage in the third position, but was soon bypassed by trucks with fresher tires.
- The young driver hung on to finish the stage in the fourth position, and Richmond called him to pit road for adjustments, four Goodyear tires and Sunoco fuel.
Stage Three Recap:
- Gilliland began the final 74-lap stage in eighth and maintained that position for most of the final laps.
- During green flag stops with 21 laps to go, Richmond called Gilliland to pit road for two tires and fuel, and when stops cycled back around, the No. 4 was in the seventh position, where he finished the race.
- Following the race, the No. 4 team discovered damage to the left front of the Mobil 1 Tundra.
TODD GILLILAND, driver of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports:
How was your race tonight?
“Overall, it was not one of our worst nights or best nights. We got points in both stages. I ended up seventh, so it’s just about being smart in these races. That’s what we did tonight. Our truck was good. It could have been a little bit better. I punched a little bit of a hole in the front headlight in the start of the race. That didn’t help us at all. It kept getting worse and worse. It was soft and the air was pushing it in. Definitely my bad there, I think we could have ran better without that. Not one of our worse weekends for sure. I had a lot more fun here in Las Vegas than Atlanta.”
Strat 200 Recap:
- KBM owner-driver Kyle Busch collected the 53nd win of his NGOTS career and his 196th in NASCAR’s top three divisions. Brett Moffitt finished 1.211 seconds behind Busch in the runner-up spot. Matt Crafton, Stewart Friesen and Burton rounded out the top-five finishers.
- The race featured three cautions for a total of 15 laps. There were seven lead changes among five drivers.
How Gilliland’s KBM Teammates Fared:
Harrison Burton, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, finished 5th
Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 51 Toyota, finished 1st
NGOTS Championship Standings:
The No. 4 team completes the second race of the season with Gilliland ranked 9th in the Truck Series Driver Championship Standings, 21 points behind the leader.
Next Race:
Todd Gilliland and the No. 4 team will be back on track Saturday, March 23 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Va. Live coverage of the NGOTS 250 begins at 2:00 p.m. EST on FOX. –
