Gilliland’s Night Ends Early at Las Vegas

Todd Gilliland made his first start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Friday night and hoped to hit the jackpot, but his luck ran out instead. After leading five laps to start the final stage, Gilliland hit the wall on lap 83, which ended his night prematurely in 27th place.
 
Stage One Recap:
  • Gilliland started 10th and moved up to second place after a great restart on lap 13.
  • He was fourth when the stage ended on lap 30 and pitted for right-side tires on lap 33.
 
Stage Two Recap:
  • With the two-tire stop, he was third to start the next 30-lap stage.
  • His JBL/SiriusXM Tundra was not handling as well on just two fresh tires, so when a caution came on lap 47 the team used the opportunity to bring him back to pit road for four tires.
  • Although he was back in 26th place when the race resumed on lap 50, he was able to stay out when Stage Two ended and assume the lead.
 
Stage Three Recap:
  • Gilliland restarted the final stage in the lead, but fell back to fourth a few laps into the run.
  • While side drafting with another truck on lap 83, he got loose and spun into the wall. He came to pit road for the team to survey the damage and make what repairs they could in the time NASCAR allows on pit road.
  • After making another lap, he was forced to retire his Tundra to the garage for the night with a 27th-place finish.

KBM PR