GILLILAND IMPRESSES THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND, FINISHES 17TH Todd Gilliland came into the weekend and turned heads, as the NASCAR Cup Series rookie took the No. 38 First Phase Credit Card Ford Mustang to third in final practice. Gilliland started in the first heat race and was in pole position. Unfortunately, the bottom was a hard place to restart. Gilliland ultimately finished his heat in sixth, starting Sunday's Cup race in 23rd. Gilliland started the feature and quickly found himself making up ground on the high side and by the end of Stage One, he was up to 18th. In Stage Two, Gilliland continued to impress on the dirt, making up more ground to finish the stage in 15th. Then, as they were about to start the third and final stage, the rain came. The final stage was plagued by rain delays and restarts, Gilliland was shuffled back to the 21st position as the race got back underway. In the closing laps, Gilliland spun off of Turn Two, avoiding any damage. He went back to work, making up the ground he lost and then some to round out his dirt weekend with a 17th-place finish. GILLILAND ON BRISTOL DIRT: "Dirt track racing is something that has always been a fun challenge to me. I was really happy with the work the No. 38 First Phase Credit Card team put in to give me the opportunity to have a great day. We were able to climb back up through those final restarts and ended with a solid finish." |