Strong Plate Runs at Daytona and Talladega Make Gilliland Contender This Week

Gilliland finished third in Daytona 500

Statesville, NC (June 28, 2011) - David Gilliland should have no problem finding plenty of “dance partners” when he returns to the two-car draft at Daytona International Speedway this weekend. The driver of the No. 34 Taco Bell Ford gained plenty of respect among his competitors after his third-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500 and a ninth-place finish at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in April. After those two impressive superspeedway runs, Gilliland is ready for a third with Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 at the storied 2.5-mile tri-oval in Daytona Beach, Fla.

NASCAR ranks Gilliland second in the category of “closers” at Daytona. The statistical category tracks drivers over a six-year period to determine who gains the most positions in the final 10 percent of laps at a track. Gilliland showcased that “closer” status in February’s Daytona 500, surging from ninth to third in the race’s final two laps.

This past weekend, he also showed off his road-racing prowess, earning his third top-15 finish of the season with a 12th-place run at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.

Comments from Taco Bell driver David Gilliland on going to Daytona:

“Daytona we’re excited about. Peter (crew chief Peter Sospenzo) keeps telling me the car is going to be better than it was for the 500. But we don’t need it too much better, when you think about it. We had a great car in the 500, finished third, and could’ve kept passing cars if the finish line was another hundred yards down. Hopefully, it is a little bit better and we can go and work with some people.

“Running good and having good restrictor-plate finishes for the first two races has really helped us to have people actually coming to us and want to work with us throughout the race. That is really what you need to be able to get to the end and have a chance at possibly winning the race.

“We had a great run with Tony Stewart at Talladega, so we’ve talked to Tony a little bit about working together again. Also, obviously, our teammate Travis’ car is very, very close to what our car is. Our two cars have worked well together in the past, too. We just have to see what happens. The key is you can’t put all of your eggs in one basket and plan on just working with one person throughout the race because anything can happen, and then you can be kind of hung out to dry. So you have to try to keep your options open. Having good finishes in the past has helped us to be able to go in there with more options than we’ve had.

“We had a great run at Sonoma. I’m really proud of our Taco Bell team. We went really prepared and had a great car, and Peter and the guys did an awesome job all weekend. It was fun to race up front all day. We definitely would’ve had a top-10 or even top-five finish if we didn’t have a couple issues toward the end of the race. We lost a lot of grip with our tires and had some trouble with second gear at the end. But I’m still really proud of our team. It was a good run for Front Row Motorsports.”

About Front Row Motorsports:

Front Row Motorsports is a Statesville, N.C.-based race team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Formed in 2005 by restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, the team has competed in NASCAR racing in each year since its inception, expanding full-time to the premier Sprint Cup Series in 2009. The team partners with Ford Racing and Roush-Yates Racing Engines to field the No. 34 Taco Bell Ford driven by David Gilliland and the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford driven by Travis Kvapil.

- Breaking Limits Marketing for Front Row Motorsports, Press Release

Gilliland Ready To Push His Way To The Front Again at Talladega

Gilliland Finished 3rd at Daytona

Statesville, N.C. (April 12, 2011) - David Gilliland pushed his way to a third-place finish in the 2011 Daytona 500, and he’s confident that same No. 34 Taco Bell Ford can run up front at the Sprint Cup Series’ next superspeedway. The team will bring the same chassis to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway this weekend that made a dash for the checkers in the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway.

Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 will be Gilliland’s eighth Cup start at the historic 2.66-mile oval. He’s no stranger to the front of the pack there. He won the pole in his first race at Talladega (2006) and has a career-best finish of fourth (2007).

Comments from Taco Bell driver David Gilliland on Talladega:
“At Talladega, I think you’re going to see a lot of the same thing you saw at Daytona. Hopefully a lot of the same with us up front. We’re taking the same car, and I’m excited for it. That kind of racing is different. If you didn’t like it at Daytona, then you’re probably not going to like it at Talladega. But I liked it and I’m looking forward to doing it again.

“With the change NASCAR made to the restrictor plate, it’s not going to make that much of a difference. Here’s where you’ll see the difference. When you’ve got pairs of cars hooked up together, but one is hung out by himself, it’s just going to make that slow car even slower. I don’t think it’s going to slow the top speeds down too much because, like we saw at Daytona, when two cars get together they really go.

“I think a lot of teams are working on cooling and different things to be able to push as long as you can. I feel like we’ve made some really good gains since Daytona that are really going to help us. We have really good speedway cars and the FR9 motors are awesome. Obviously, FR9s finished 1-2-3 at the Daytona 500, and we’re going back with the same thing.

“At Daytona, a lot of cars could only push for a few laps and then they had to break away to get some clean air, but our Taco Bell Ford Fusion was able to push for a long time, sometimes as many as 20-plus laps. And that got us a third-place finish. If the race had been one lap longer, I honestly believe we could’ve won. We had that kind of momentum. So, I really have a lot of confidence in our engine package and our cars that we’re going to be taking.

“Front Row Motorsports spent some time at the wind tunnel last week, testing our aero package on a superspeedway car. One of the benefits of working with Ford is they give us access to these resources to help make our cars better. It really helps put us a step ahead when we arrive at the track. So, between what we had at Daytona and this new information we just got, I can’t wait to get there.”

About Front Row Motorsports:

Front Row Motorsports is a Statesville, N.C.-based race team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Formed in 2005 by restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, the team has competed in NASCAR racing in each year since its inception, expanding full-time to the premier Sprint Cup Series in 2009. The team partners with Ford Racing and Roush-Yates Racing Engines to field the No. 34 Taco Bell Ford driven by David Gilliland and the No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford driven by Travis Kvapil.

- Breaking Limits Marketing for Front Row Motorsports, Press Release