David Gilliland
Encyclopedia
David Gilliland is a NASCAR
driver and he currently drives the #34 Taco Bell
Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports
. He is the son of former Cup and West Coast driver Butch Gilliland
. He was born in Riverside, California
.
(a dirt track). Then, the following year he began a limited season in the NASCAR AutoZone West Series. In 2003, Gilliland won five races in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series in the #11 Centrifugal Technologies Chevrolet. He finished the season with five top-fives and eight top-tens and a 6th place finish in points.
In 2004, Gilliland announced plans to run the full schedule in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series in the No. 88 Chevrolet for MRG Motorsports and all non-conflicting NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series (now AutoZone West) races. He won his first AutoZone West win at Mesa Marin Raceway
, in his home city. He was then NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series Rookie-of-the-Year. He also had two victories in NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series.
in the Craftsman Truck Series, but failed to qualify. He announced that Clay Andrews Racing
would form in mid-2005. Gilliland made his Busch Series debut at Phoenix
, qualifying 28th. However, he was involved with an early crash and finished 43rd. Gilliland made the other Phoenix race later in the year, but had the same result. He was 43rd after ignition troubles. Also, he ran the #15 Billy Ballew Motorsports
Chevy at Vegas
in the Craftsman Truck Series
with a 22nd place finish.
Meanwhile, Gilliland raced in the Grand National Division in 2005 and won the Toyota All-Star Showdown in 2005 when apparent winner Mike Olson was disqualified for light wheels wider than regulation. The win was his biggest of date because it allowed him to be noticed by Busch and Cup owners.
Gilliland began running the #84 Clay Andrews Chevy part-time in 2006, during which time he was mentored by former Sprint Cup race winner Jerry Nadeau
. Gilliland, however, struggled to finish races, only earning a best of 29th in his first four starts of the year. However, in his next outing, Gilliland scored his first career Busch Series win at Kentucky
on June 17. Gilliland drove the 84 Hype Manufacturing Chevrolet to victory, becoming the first driver of 2006 to win a Busch race who was not also running a full-time Nextel Cup schedule. FX television announcer Hermie Sadler
called the victory "the biggest upset in Busch Series history".
Gilliland made his first attempt to make a Cup race at Infineon Raceway
in Sonoma, CA, in the #72 CJM Racing
Chevrolet, qualifying 31st, and finishing 32nd. In August 2006, Gilliland replaced Elliott Sadler
as the driver of the M&M's Ford in the NEXTEL Cup Series. On October 7, he qualified on the pole for the UAW Ford 500
at Talladega Superspeedway
, the first pole of his career. He won his second career pole at the Daytona 500
, his first points-paying race at the track, and finished 28th in NEXTEL Cup points. Gilliland drove part-time in the Busch Series for Team Rensi Motorsports with sponsorship from FreeCreditReport.com
in 2007, splitting the driving duties at Rensi with rookie Richard Johns
. His best finish was a tenth at Daytona. In 2008, FreeCreditReport became his Cup sponsor and he had two top ten finishes.
In January 2009, his #38 Sprint Cup team was closed due to a lack of sponsorship and his points from 2008 were moved to the #96 team of Bobby Labonte
. After missing the Daytona 500, he was hired by TRG Motorsports for the rest of the 2009 season, with sponsorship from Capital Window and American Monster.
On September 18, 2009, Gilliland's future was thrown into question following TRG's announcement that Bobby Labonte would drive the #71 Chevrolet for seven of the final twelve races of the season while Erik Darnell
drives the #96 Ford. Gilliland raced five additional times for TRG last season, also driving for Joe Gibbs Racing
and Robby Gordon Motorsports
. He drove for the Wood Brothers (filling in for Bill Elliott) at Atlanta and for Gibbs at Lowe's, Texas, and the season finale at Homestead. At Auto Club Speedway in October, Gilliland relieved an sick Kyle Busch after parking his normal ride. He raced in Phoenix for Phoenix Racing
. At the end of the 2009 season, He left TRG Motorsports and joins FRM.
In 2010, Gilliland will drive a majority of the season with Front Row Motorsports
in a third car, with his old number 38, and got new numbers 34, and 37. He attempted the Daytona 500 for BAM Racing
and failed to qualify. His best finish was came at Martinsville and Sonoma, a 19th at both tracks.
He returns to Front Row Motorsports
in 2011, to the Taco Bell car. He finished 3rd in the Daytona 500, Front Row's best finish to that point.
at Western High School in Anaheim.
He is married to wife Michelle and the couple has two children, Todd and Taylor.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver and he currently drives the #34 Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...
Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports is a team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The team began running part-time in 2004 as Means-Jenkins Motorsports under a partnership with Jimmy Means and restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, with Jenkins becoming the full team owner in 2005...
. He is the son of former Cup and West Coast driver Butch Gilliland
Butch Gilliland
Butch Gilliland is a former NASCAR Winston Cup and Craftsman Truck Series driver from California. He was the 1997 Winston West Series champion and based on the west coast. All of his 10 Cup starts came at either Infineon Raceway or Phoenix International Raceway and all 12 of his Truck Series...
. He was born in Riverside, California
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
.
NASCAR Regional Career
In 1996, he began working on his father's AutoZone West Series team. By 1999, Gilliland won the track championship at Perris Auto SpeedwayPerris Auto Speedway
Perris Auto Speedway, also known as The PAS, is a 1/2 mile clay oval track located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds in Perris, California. The track features a raised backstretch offering fans a better view over the infield of the oval. The track hosts USAC/CRA sprint cars, street stocks, dirt...
(a dirt track). Then, the following year he began a limited season in the NASCAR AutoZone West Series. In 2003, Gilliland won five races in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series in the #11 Centrifugal Technologies Chevrolet. He finished the season with five top-fives and eight top-tens and a 6th place finish in points.
In 2004, Gilliland announced plans to run the full schedule in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series in the No. 88 Chevrolet for MRG Motorsports and all non-conflicting NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series (now AutoZone West) races. He won his first AutoZone West win at Mesa Marin Raceway
Mesa Marin Raceway
Mesa Marin Raceway was a NASCAR affiliated oval racetrack located in Bakersfield, California from 1977 until 2005. It was leveled in the fall of 2005 after being sold to developers....
, in his home city. He was then NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series Rookie-of-the-Year. He also had two victories in NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series.
NASCAR National Career
Gilliland made his first attempt at a major NASCAR race in 2003, at the Las Vegas 350Las Vegas 350
The Smith's 350 is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race that takes place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The races of 1996-1997 were long and 1998-1999 were long. LVMS did not host a truck race in 2000.-Past winners:...
in the Craftsman Truck Series, but failed to qualify. He announced that Clay Andrews Racing
Clay Andrews Racing
Clay Andrews Racing was a NASCAR Busch Series team. They formerly fielded the #84 Hype Technologies Chevrolet Monte Carlo in the NASCAR Busch Series. The team was led by Billy Wilburn, a former Penske Racing mechanic and later crew chief...
would form in mid-2005. Gilliland made his Busch Series debut at Phoenix
Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix International Raceway, also known as PIR, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the Indycar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series...
, qualifying 28th. However, he was involved with an early crash and finished 43rd. Gilliland made the other Phoenix race later in the year, but had the same result. He was 43rd after ignition troubles. Also, he ran the #15 Billy Ballew Motorsports
Billy Ballew Motorsports
Billy Ballew Motorsports is a team that competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. They were formed in 1996 by Georgia businessman Billy Ballew. They currently field the #51 Bullet Liner F-150 for Colin Braun.- Fasscore Motorsports :...
Chevy at Vegas
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
in the Craftsman Truck Series
Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
with a 22nd place finish.
Meanwhile, Gilliland raced in the Grand National Division in 2005 and won the Toyota All-Star Showdown in 2005 when apparent winner Mike Olson was disqualified for light wheels wider than regulation. The win was his biggest of date because it allowed him to be noticed by Busch and Cup owners.
Gilliland began running the #84 Clay Andrews Chevy part-time in 2006, during which time he was mentored by former Sprint Cup race winner Jerry Nadeau
Jerry Nadeau
Jerry Nadeau is a retired race car driver from Danbury, Connecticut. Nadeau competed in the 1994 Barber Dodge Pro Series and the 1996 Formula Opel Euroseries.-NASCAR career:Nadeau's NASCAR career began in 1995 in the Busch Series...
. Gilliland, however, struggled to finish races, only earning a best of 29th in his first four starts of the year. However, in his next outing, Gilliland scored his first career Busch Series win at Kentucky
Kentucky Speedway
Kentucky Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Jerry Carroll, who, along with four other investors, owned...
on June 17. Gilliland drove the 84 Hype Manufacturing Chevrolet to victory, becoming the first driver of 2006 to win a Busch race who was not also running a full-time Nextel Cup schedule. FX television announcer Hermie Sadler
Hermie Sadler
Herman Marion Sadler III is an American race car driver/announcer and professional wrestling promoter from Emporia, Virginia. He is also an advocate for autism research, as his daughter Hailie Dru, was diagnosed with the disorder in 2001...
called the victory "the biggest upset in Busch Series history".
Sprint Cup Series
Infineon Raceway
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip located on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains near Sonoma, California, USA. The course is a complex series of twists and turns that go up and down the hills...
in Sonoma, CA, in the #72 CJM Racing
CJM Racing
CJM Racing was a NASCAR Nationwide Series team. They fielded the #11 car for a variety of drivers.-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:Victory Motorsports was formed in 2006 when two businessmen, Bryan and Tony Mullet, purchased the Sprint Cup equipment of Faith Motorsports from Morgan Shepherd...
Chevrolet, qualifying 31st, and finishing 32nd. In August 2006, Gilliland replaced Elliott Sadler
Elliott Sadler
Elliott William Barnes Sadler is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is one of only 23 drivers to have won in each of NASCAR's top three series...
as the driver of the M&M's Ford in the NEXTEL Cup Series. On October 7, he qualified on the pole for the UAW Ford 500
UAW Ford 500
The Good Sam Club 500 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. The AMP Energy 500 is also one of four races currently run with restrictor plates, the others being the Aaron's 499, the Coke Zero 400, and the Daytona 500. Through 1996, the...
at Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
, the first pole of his career. He won his second career pole at the Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
, his first points-paying race at the track, and finished 28th in NEXTEL Cup points. Gilliland drove part-time in the Busch Series for Team Rensi Motorsports with sponsorship from FreeCreditReport.com
FreeCreditReport.com
FreeCreditScore.com and FreeCreditReport.com are websites owned by Experian Consumer Direct, a subsidiary of the credit bureau Experian. The sites offer users their personal credit reports from Experian on the condition that they sign up for Experian's Triple Advantage credit monitoring program for...
in 2007, splitting the driving duties at Rensi with rookie Richard Johns
Richard Johns (NASCAR)
Richard Johns is an American race car driver from Lawrenceville, Georgia. He is currently racing in the Georgia Asphalt Series and the Camping World East Series. Richard also works as an engineering consultant for several teams in NASCAR.-Pre-NASCAR:...
. His best finish was a tenth at Daytona. In 2008, FreeCreditReport became his Cup sponsor and he had two top ten finishes.
In January 2009, his #38 Sprint Cup team was closed due to a lack of sponsorship and his points from 2008 were moved to the #96 team of Bobby Labonte
Bobby Labonte
Robert Alan "Bobby" Labonte is an American race car driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He currently drives the #47 Kroger/Clorox/Kimberly-Clark/Kingsford/Reese Towpower Hitches Toyota Camry for JTG Daugherty Racing. He currently resides in Trinity, North Carolina. He is married to his wife...
. After missing the Daytona 500, he was hired by TRG Motorsports for the rest of the 2009 season, with sponsorship from Capital Window and American Monster.
On September 18, 2009, Gilliland's future was thrown into question following TRG's announcement that Bobby Labonte would drive the #71 Chevrolet for seven of the final twelve races of the season while Erik Darnell
Erik Darnell
Erik Darnell is an American stock car racing driver, c He is the grandson of former USAC and NASCAR driver Bay Darnell, who also started three NASCAR races for Holman Moody...
drives the #96 Ford. Gilliland raced five additional times for TRG last season, also driving for Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son...
and Robby Gordon Motorsports
Robby Gordon Motorsports
Robby Gordon Motorsports is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team. It fields the #7 Dodge Charger for Robby Gordon. It is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is owned by Gordon and heavily supported by John Menard, Jr.-2005:...
. He drove for the Wood Brothers (filling in for Bill Elliott) at Atlanta and for Gibbs at Lowe's, Texas, and the season finale at Homestead. At Auto Club Speedway in October, Gilliland relieved an sick Kyle Busch after parking his normal ride. He raced in Phoenix for Phoenix Racing
Phoenix Racing
Phoenix Racing is a NASCAR team owned by James Finch. It currently fields the #51 Chevrolet Impala in the Sprint Cup Series driven by Landon Cassill and the #1 Chevrolet Impala in the Nationwide Series driven by Landon Cassill and Jamie McMurray....
. At the end of the 2009 season, He left TRG Motorsports and joins FRM.
In 2010, Gilliland will drive a majority of the season with Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports is a team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The team began running part-time in 2004 as Means-Jenkins Motorsports under a partnership with Jimmy Means and restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, with Jenkins becoming the full team owner in 2005...
in a third car, with his old number 38, and got new numbers 34, and 37. He attempted the Daytona 500 for BAM Racing
BAM Racing
BAM Racing is a NASCAR racing team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, owned by Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau. The team began in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2000, moving to NASCAR in 2001 to 2008 before sitting out 2009 due to the economy...
and failed to qualify. His best finish was came at Martinsville and Sonoma, a 19th at both tracks.
He returns to Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports is a team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The team began running part-time in 2004 as Means-Jenkins Motorsports under a partnership with Jimmy Means and restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, with Jenkins becoming the full team owner in 2005...
in 2011, to the Taco Bell car. He finished 3rd in the Daytona 500, Front Row's best finish to that point.
Personal life
Gilliland was a high-school golf teammate of Tiger WoodsTiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
at Western High School in Anaheim.
He is married to wife Michelle and the couple has two children, Todd and Taylor.