Front Row Motorsports (FRM) circled Las Vegas Motor Speedway as a track to improve. With the Truck team already locked into the playoffs, and solid runs by the Cup teams in both Daytona and Auto Club, momentum was on its side. The loaded weekend began with the Truck Series practicing, qualifying, and racing on Friday, followed by Cup Series practice and qualifying Saturday, and finally the race on Sunday.

 

 

McDowell entered Las Vegas with a top-ten in Daytona, and what should have been another exiting Auto Club. With an electronics failure that resulted in a DNF, the Stage Front team entered the weekend knowing that the speed is there, and a good finish was in the cards. Working tirelessly on the car before and during practice, the goal was to nail the setup going into qualifying and the race. While it did not show in practice or qualifying, a 22^nd starting spot was quickly turned into much more when the green flag dropped. Surging beyond the top-15, and nearly into the top-10, the speed from the previous weeks showed. With the handling tailing toward the loose side, the team wrenched to get the car to his liking/

 

Leading the first four laps of Stage Two, McDowell continued to fight tooth-and-nail to hold off cars with newer tires as best he could. Unfortunately, an untimely caution, and an issue on a pit stop, mired them in the back. It cut any hopes of being able to make another surge to the front. The team nearly was able to bounce back, but an untimely caution with a speeding penalty, trapped them two laps down.

 

Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 Frontline Enterprises crew had yet another strong showing in Las Vegas. Gilliland took the green flag in 30^th, but quickly got the car up fighting into the top- 20. Gilliland fought a tight car all evening long but managed to get his Ford Mustang to a high of 14^th.

 

Gilliland would get caught a lap down due to a caution flag during green flag pit stops that would set the team behind. That did not stop the Frontline Enterprises machine from fighting, Gilliland would come back to gain his lap back but on the final restart. Gilliland would bring the car home in 23^rd.

 

“We fought with the handling of the car all day”, Gilliland said. "I’m really proud of my team and the way we showed speed throughout the middle of the race. We keep getting closer and closer each week. I’m learning so much about the new cars. I feel like we’re super close to battling for better positions.”