It was the grand season finale at Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway and the crowning of the other six, exciting race divisions. Taylor Waste Services Late Models were back after a near month long layoff with the track championship yet to be decided featuring twin seventy five lap races. The Cycle City Corp Bandoleros were also on the evenings race card with business of determining its series champion. Harris Truck Shops Super Trucks, Cycle City Corp Legends, Pepsi Grand Stocks and the Bojangles Enduros all capped off the thrilling conclusion of championship night in the 2018 race season at Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway. Here’s a recap of the great night of racing and those crowned champions.

Taylor Waste Services Late Models Twin 75’s: Danny Edwards Jr in search of his sixth Late Model championship couldn’t have had a better start to the afternoon by claiming the race pole. His lap at 15.665 seconds knocked off brother Greg Edwards from the provisional pole but easily claiming the second starting spot on the grid. Connor Hall, Mark Wertz and Terry Carroll were the five quickest in Late Model qualifying. Green flag waved and pole sitter Danny Edwards Jr took off securing the point quickly by turn two. Greg Edwards along with Connor Hall got in line just as quickly to see just how hard the leader would go in the early laps off the race. Several laps in saw the leader with a two car length lead as brother Greg mirrored the race line of the leader. Best battle for position was for third as Mark Wertz would take the spot from Connor Hall. Brenden Queen would work his way into the top five with a pass of Terry Carroll as the field were all single file. Closing in on the halfway saw Mark Wertz hard on the move passing Greg Edwards for second and showing as the fastest on the track. Still in a caution free run just pass the halfway, Mark Wertz with a hot rod underneath of him finally caught the leader and on lap forty nine became the new race leader. On back, business for third was going down as Connor Hall and Greg Edwards battled. But then problems for Greg Edwards who goes around with what looked to be a flat tire to bring out the caution. Back to the green with twelve laps to go, Mark Wertz would survive the bumper of Connor Hall to keep his race lead. Connor Hall would then have to deal with Danny Edwards who would get second but back up front, Mark Wertz would go on to win race one. Wertz had this to say in Victory Lane, “Yeah it was pretty interesting, we took a gamble on a little something different”, said the race winner, “This is possibly my last full year, to do that, we felt like we had nothing to lose so we took a gamble on some stuff. Had a lot of help from friends, put a show on for the fans, ya know, Danny had a helluva season. He’s track champion, he lives like champion and acts like a champion, I want to congratulate him now but I wanted this win”.

In the Late Model nightcap, race winner Mark Wertz would start eighth per NASCAR mandatory eight car invert rule. Thomas Marks would get to lead the grid to the green in this feature and then the green waved in the air. Marks did not have a strong beginning as the leader spun his tires. Taking advantage and leading the first circuit would be Brenden Queen with early mover Terry Carroll in tow. On back its Greg Edwards with Mark Wertz all on the move as well. Laps later saw Terry Carroll take a turn at the race lead but continuing his march to the front would be Mark Wertz who would then get to the bumper of the race leader. Lap later, Wertz does away with Carroll and hot on the trail would come Connor Hall in second. Several laps later in the green flag run, all single file and scattered all over the track, Wertz continued to show the way amounting near a half a straight away length lead. Well past the halfway saw Danny Edwards Jr catch second place Connor Hall. Soon after the battle for position ensued with Danny Edwards Jr getting the spot. But the battle took its toll as the leader Mark Wertz would go on and cruise to a Late Model sweep of the evenings racing. Danny Edwards Jr would be crowned his sixth Late Model championship, Mark Wertz spoke in Victory Lane. “Look, I tell ya right now, I don’t like to jinx myself, the season is over, the race is over but this bad boy was bad to the bone tonight”, an excited Mark Wertz said. “I knew something early this week, felt really good in practice, man, I was throttling it back in the end but that all beside the point. It was a great year, thank everyone who support us. Big congrats to Danny Edwards Jr, it’s pretty cool when the two old dudes are still getting it done”. Danny Edwards Jr reflecting on his sixth Late Model championship, “It’s been a great year and I definitely want to thank Henry Ayer, glad he came on board and helped us out. A whole bunch of people to thank on this team. It’s been a great year and obviously we would have like to go out with a win but congrats to Mark doubling down, that was a great performance. It’s been a long year, a solid year, maybe not stellar but solid. Today was pretty good and we did what we had to do. Thank the track for putting this whole deal and the fans for showing up every week”.

Race Results Race #1:

1. #55 Mark Wertz; 75
2. #26e Danny Edwards Jr; 75
3. #91 Justin Carroll; 75
4. #77 Connor Hall; 75
5. #90 Terry Carroll; 75
6. #97 Greg Edwards; 75
7. #03 Brenden Queen; 75
8. #88 Thomas Marks; 74
9. #25 Craig Eastep; 74
10. #7h Michael Hardin; 74
11. #16f Chris Flowers; 74
12. #9 Rodney Boyd; 73
13. #4s Duane Shreeves; 40

Race Results Race #2:

1. #55 Mark Wertz; 75
2. #91 Justin Carroll; 75
3. #26e Danny Edwards Jr; 75
4. #77 Connor Hall; 75
5. #90 Terry Carroll; 75
6. #97 Greg Edwards; 74
7. #25 Craig Eastep; 74
8. #7h Michael Hardin; 74
9. #4s Duane Shreeves; 74
10. #16f Chris Flowers; 73
11. #9 Rodney Boyd; 73
12. #88 Thomas Marks; 47
13. #03 Brenden Queen; 35

Cycle City Corp Bandoleros 15 Laps: Entering the final race of the Bando series, second in points Wyatt Philyaw took the race pole in chase of series points leader Layton Harrison who leads by seven. Philyaw’s lap was set at 20.892 seconds with Ryley Music who earned the two spot on the grid, Harrison would start fifth. Green flag was displayed to the field and into turn one did the leader go. On back and on the move was Jacob Derrick in second and Autumn Weaver who also had championship on her mind would go third early in the race. Halfway saw Philyaw continue to lead with Derrick haunting the race leader. Ryley Music at the same time was looking for a way around Weaver for third. With just a few laps to go and the race leaders catching lap traffic, Derrick would get to the bumper of the race leader. But Wyatt Philyaw slammed the door and would go on to win the Bando race event. Layton Harrison who finished fourth earned the Bandoleros track championship. Philyaw from Victory Lane, “Can’t thank everyone enough and also my sponsors. Me, my mom and dad stayed up till eleven last night putting this race car together. Just really glad we got to earn it today”. Layton Harrison talked about his track championship, “It feels really good to win the championship, I lost the championship at Southside. I’d like to thank my sponsors, Generac Electric, my mom and dad, sissy and my pawpaw”.

Race Results:

1. #22 Wyatt Philyaw; 15
2. #8 Jacob Derrick; 15
3. #47 Ryley Music; 15
4. #43 Layton Harrison; 15
5. #12 Bradan Andrecs; 15
6. #4 Alek Andrecs; 15
7. #8w Connor Weddell; 15
8. #18 Autumn Weaver; 14
9. #48 Wesley Newell; 14
10. #87 Kenton Case; 14

Harris Truck Shops Super Trucks 25 Laps: Jacob Carr who was also making plans for a Super Truck series track championship claimed the race pole in the afternoon time trials. Posting the pole lap at 18.971 seconds, Chase McAdams would get the second qualifying spot to complete row one. On back there was Rick Poust, Ryan Huff and Elysia Potter showing speed in Super Truck qualifying. With the green waving high in the air, Jacob Carr would lead the field into turn one. But from the outside, Chase McAdams would get the side bite needed and made the pass to lead lap one. From there and as the early stages of the feature went down saw McAdams mount up a fourteen truck race lead. Jacob Carr would give chase but at this point had nothing for the race leader. On back, Ryan Huff, Rick Poust and Elysia Potter were all solid in third through fifth. Halfway was much the same as lap traffic played a hand as Carr started to collapse the lead but that all became for not as the race had its first caution. Back to the green, McAdams nails the restart as Jacob Carr continues in second. But from there to the checkered flag, Chase McAdams proved to be too much and would go on to win. Jacob Carr’s second place finish clinches the Super Truck championship. McAdams from Victory Lane, “Oh yeah she was fast tonight, pulled it off early, got passed him pretty quick. Truck was on a rail, gotta thank my crew, my dad, Chris Spangler, Marty Strickland and everybody who gives us a hand. It’s been fun”. Then Jacob Carr talked about his Super Truck championship, “First off like to thank my crew for everything they have done for me this season. Through the highs, lows, we started the season we didn’t have a good start, didn’t finish the first two races. Want to congratulate Chase on his race win, want to thank everybody, thank Bill for an awesome track here. Want to thank Langley and God above”.

Race Results:

1. #62 Chase McAdams; 25
2. #88 Jacob Carr; 25
3. #3 Ryan Huff; 25
4. #9 Rick Poust; 25
5. #26 Richard Battoia; 25
6. #24 Elysia Potter; 25
7. #65 Shannon Lester; 25
8. #27 Keith Wheeler; 25
9. #38 Paige Cain; 25
10. #31 Richard Quinn; 24
11. #11 Allie Plum; 24
12. #66 Wayne Lyon; 23

Cycle City Corp Legends 25 Laps: Tommy Jackson Jr was one step closer to sealing the deal for a Legends series championship by taking the pole. His lap 17.786 seconds bested the lap by Nick Smith in a share of the front row. Devon Courtney, Ryan Matthews and Spencer Saunders were the five fastest in Legend series qualifying. Green flag was shown to the grid and Tommy Jackson Jr would lead lap on. Hot on his tail was Late Model standout Nick Smith making a stop to come play with the Legends gang in second. Early mover in the field would be Spencer Saunders to third but just as quickly in that move was the races first caution. Back to the green, Tommy Jackson Jr held off the charge of Spencer Saunders to maintain the lead, but for Saunders, he soon fell into the clutches of Nick Smith and settled into third. Just before the halfway, the race had its second caution setting up another restart and a shot at the race leader. With the green back in the air, race leader Jackson would be under heavy assault from Nick Smith but able to hold him off would be the race leader Jackson but then, another caution. Racing once again it would be race leader Jackson showing the way. Smith and Saunders both were giving chase but Tommy Jackson Jr would go on to win the feature and claim the Legend series championship. Tommy Jackson Jr from Victory Lane, “Is been phenomenal, if you told me at the start of the year with the kind of competition that we would win ninety percent of the races I would have called you a liar. Can’t thank my team enough behind me, my parents supporting all this. Just an unbelievable season, stress is finally over, hadn’t checked the points all year. I didn’t know how much it ended up, I figured if we kept parking it here we wouldn’t have to worry about it”.

Race Results:

1. #87 Tommy Jackson Jr; 25
2. #88s Nick Smith; 25
3. #7 Spencer Saunders; 25
4. #51r Ryan Matthews; 25
5. #17 Devon Courtney; 25
6. 14c Connor Jones; 25
7. #31 Carter Wood; 25
8. #78 Tyler Warriner; 25
9. #14t Tucker Jones; 25
10. #27 Devon Steele; 25
11. #44 Barry Kramer; 25
12. #4s Ernie Strouse; 21
13. #4 Chris Hayes; 3

Pepsi Grand Stocks 40 Laps: Tim Wilson took the Grand Stock division pole sporting a 17.577 second lap. Sammy Gaita, Michael Waters, Paul Lubno and Grant Blasingame were qualifying’s best. Green flag was in the air and the pole sitter Wilson struggled to get going as Sammy Gaita would lead lap one. But back comes Tim Wilson to retake the lead a lap later in the event. From there it wasn’t long as Wilson was on a torrid pace and mounted a near half a straightaway length lead over Paul Lubno running second. But then the caution flag waved which collapse the lead of Tim Wilson. Green back in the air and no real challenge to the leader, Tim Wilson continued to lead. With Lubno, Waters, Gaita and Blasingame the early top five, this time around Lubno would not let the leader get away so easily. But as the halfway came and went, race leader Tim Wilson began to pull away from Paul Lubno. From there, the race would go caution free and Tim Wilson would cross the line first to win the Super street feature with Paul Lubno winning the Grand Stock championship. Tim Wilson from Victory Lane, “Yeah, I gotta thank Rick Hester, he got this thing on a rail and I’m just a nut behind the wheel. It didn’t fall off and it’s a fast car”. Paul Lubno discussed his Super Street championship, “Gotta thank the car owner JR Smith for motivating me to keep on racing. We got a good car and a good power plant from Charlie High, we had a great season”.

Race Results:

1. #17 Tim Wilson; 40
2. #14 Paul Lubno; 40
3. #2m Michael Waters; 40
4. #24 Sammy Gaita; 40
5. #51 Grant Blasingame; 39
6. #71 JR Smith; 39
7. #2b Brian Waters; 13

Bojangles Enduros 30 Laps: Vicky Connor would get the start on pole by pulling the lucky one pill. Series points leader Ronald Klein comes into the evenings racing with a comfortable fourteen point lead in the division but would find himself starting eighteenth with work to do to close out with the championship. Green flag was shown and its Robert Dezero who leads the first lap but then came Brandon Franks to lead lap two. After a thrilling start, racing soon tamed down showing Dezero leading followed by Jason Terrill who was hot and on the move. Terrill soon took the race lead when Brandon Franks made hard contact to bring out the caution. After a lengthy caution, the racing resumed with Jason Terrill as the race leader. Halfway saw Terrill continue to show the way with Charlie Bryant Jr trying to find a way through traffic in chase of the leader. But it was not going to be as Jason Terrill wins the season finale in Enduro race competition, Ronald Klein earned the season Enduro track championship. Jason Terrill from Victory Lane, “I gotta thank all my guys on this, we got so many hours on this car this week alone. Thank the Lord for all these opportunities and everything he’s bless me, my family my team with. We got big plans for next year, will see what happens next year”. Ronald Klein had this to say about his Enduro track championship. “First person I’ve got to thank is my daughter Aubrey. If it wasn’t for her unselfishness to give up her car I would have never had the chance to win the championship. I blew the motor in my car, she gave up her car. She told me go run for a championship, because of her doing that, here I am”.

Race Results:

1. #44 Jason Terrill; 30
2. #88 Charlie Bryant; 30
3. #22 Bill Eaker; 30
4. #17 Alex Floroff; 30
5. #6k Christian Keller; 30
6. #91 Don Mosingo; 29
7. #84n Phil Nelson; 29
8. #63 John Babey; 29
9. #00 Robert Dezero; 28
10. #7 Mikey Chinn; 28
11. 95 Ronald Klein; 28
12. #25 Ryan Vinson; 28
13. #26 Derek Johnson; 28
14. #33 Michael Kanary; 27
15. #77 Mike Raglan; 26
16. #4 Wendell White; 26
17. #98b Derek Boggess; 25
18. #47 Nate Lundin; 25
19. #30 Rick Walsh; 23
20. #57 Andrew Franks; 21
21. #32 Vicky Connor; 16
22. #9f Brandon Franks; 9
23. #02 Mike Joyner; 8
24. #41 Richard Ellis; 8
25. #54 Ricky Barber; 6

Langley Speedway PR

 Kurt Busch led a Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) onslaught Saturday in Foodland/Food Giant Qualifying at Talladega Superspeedway, taking the pole for Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500. The top four positions – meaning, the first two rows – will be filled by SHR drivers, in the pivotal NASCAR Playoff race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

The 1000Bulbs.com 500 is set for a 1 p.m. CDT start on Sunday. (TV: NBC; Radio: MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

A total of 41 drivers qualified for the available 40 spots. Qualifying consisted of two rounds of single-car runs on the 2.66-mile tri-oval, with the fastest 12 from the first round advancing to the final round. Busch led both rounds in the No. 41 Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford, with a top speed of 195.804 mph in the second round. His teammates Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola followed, with Chase Elliott qualifying fifth.

The benefit of starting up front at Talladega is debatable. Only four past 1000Bulbs.com 500 pole winners have gone on to win the race: Dave Marcis in 1976, Bill Elliott in ’87, Dale Earnhardt in ’90 and Sterling Marlin in ’95. That statistic underscores the track’s renowned unpredictability – and its “wild card” reputation.

Nothing is assured on these high banks.

But Busch will take it. Saturday marked the first pole of his career at the two fastest tracks on the NASCAR schedule – Talladega Superspeedway and Daytona International Speedway. Busch has one Monster Energy Series victory at those tracks, in the 2017 DAYTONA 500.

“I’ve been working at this for 20 years to get a restrictor plate pole and now I have one,” said Busch. “This is a real bucket list item for me. It’s impressive teamwork and a commitment level. This is awesome.”

Twelve Monster Energy Series drivers remain in championship contention, a group that includes all of the top-five qualifiers from Saturday. For those 12, a victory Sunday will result in automatic advancement to the next round, although Elliott has already advanced via a victory last week.

Following next week’s (Oct. 21) event at Kansas Speedway, the contenders list will be trimmed to eight, after which three more races will produce a “Championship 4” showdown going into the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Prior to qualifying, Timothy Peters (No. 25 Kingman Chevrolet Chevrolet) won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ Fr8Auctions 250, becoming the only driver to win three truck races at NASCAR’s biggest track. Series rookie Myatt Snider (No. 13 RideTV Ford) finished second with polesitter David Gilliland (No. 51 Pedigree Toyota) third.

The trucks are notorious at Talladega for the “Big One” – terminology for multi-vehicle mash-ups – and Saturday’s race showed why. A 10-truck accident on Lap 60 took out a number of frontrunners and necessitated a red flag of 11 minutes, 42 seconds.

The Fr8Auctions 250 wrapped up the first NASCAR Playoff round for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – and it reduced the field of championship contenders to six: Justin Haley, Fairhope, AL native Grant Enfinger, Noah Gragson, Brett Moffitt and former series champions Matt Crafton and Johnny Sauter.

After three more events, the truck series will have its own Championship 4 finalized up for the season’s last race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Ticket information for the 1000Bulbs.com 500 and all Talladega Superspeedway events is available on-line at www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or by calling (855) 518-RACE (7223). 

TSS PR

Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 at Talladega Superspeedway has prime placement in the NASCAR Playoffs, for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

For the 12 drivers still in championship contention, a victory will result in automatic advancement to the next round. Following next week’s (Oct. 21) event at Kansas Speedway, the contenders list will be trimmed to eight, after which three more races will produce a “Championship 4” showdown going into the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 1000Bulbs.com 500 is set for 1 p.m. CDT start. (TV: NBC; Radio: MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).

The Talladega tri-oval looms large – and not only because of its 2.66-mile layout and 33-degree high banks. That inherent intimidation is mitigated somewhat by Sunday being the Monster Energy Series’ second ‘Dega appearance this season, following April’s event.

“Going back to places where we’ve raced once already this year is a big [factor],” said Chase Elliott, the only driver who has clinched a Round of 8 berth, via his victory last week at Dover International Speedway. “Having some history from spring to the fall, that’s the biggest thing … to look back and see how you ran that race and see how you’ve improved.”

In terms of the playoffs, Talladega’s “wild card” reputation is enhanced by its sheer uniqueness in the 10-race lineup. It was prefaced by one road course and a one-mile concrete track (Dover). It will be followed by three 1.5-mile intermediate tracks, a half-mile and one 1-mile layout.

By any measure, it looks like a puzzle that will be tough to solve – starting with Sunday. Reigning Monster Energy Series champion Martin Truex Jr. can relate. He has yet to win at Talladega, in Monster Energy Series competition, despite having won three times in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

“The rest of the schedule in general [looks promising],” said Truex, driver of the No. 78 Bass Pro Shops/5-hour ENERGY Toyota. “This track is really the last big question mark for us.

“I like racing here. It’s a lot of fun but man, it’s been tough on me. I’ve tried every possible different approach. I’ve been crashed running side-by-side with the leader … I’ve ridden around in back trying to stay out of a wreck and ended up in it.  It’s just one of those places where I’ve haven’t unlocked the magic code or whatever. I hope that changes Sunday.”

There was one Monster Energy Series practice session on Saturday, topped by playoff contender Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Jimmy John's Ford) with a fast lap of 204.227 mph. Qualifying for the 1000Bulbs.com 500 was set for 3:35 p.m. CDT Saturday.

For information on the 1000Bulbs.com 500 and all Talladega Superspeedway events, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 855-518-RACE (7223).

TSS PR

Friday’s opening night to the 11^th annual NHRA Carolina Nationals presented by WIX Filters at zMAX Dragway saw Ron Capps build on his bid for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series’ Funny Car championship, with a scintillating 3.875-second, 329.42-mph pass. Capps topped the charts in a full-throttle, high-octane opening to a spectacular weekend of 11,000-horsepower Countdown action at the Bellagio of drag strips.

“We knew coming in that conditions would be great or better than great,” Capps said. “Quite possibly, they could be better tomorrow. This is a great race track and with good conditions, this is what you see. The best part is looking up and seeing (car owner) Don Schumacher smile. The moments like that, seeing the boss smile, it’s big.”

Steve Torrence led all Top Fuel qualifiers with a 3.704-second, 331.53-mile-per-hour pass on his second run of the evening.

“I’ve had quite a bit of success here in the past and I enjoy coming here,” Torrence said. “The track is so smooth. … We’re going to try to carry the momentum we have here into race day. Clay (Millican) has done a good job of out-qualifying us lately. Every point counts, so we need to keep those guys from getting as many points as possible. … We’ve got to take this (title battle) one round at a time. We’ve got to keep working, don’t let up and eventually, someone’s going to say ‘Hey, you lost,’ or ‘Hey, you won.’”

Erica Enders jumped to the top of the Pro Stock charts with a 6.518-second, 211.69-mph run in Round 2.

“We came off from the test session prior to Dallas, where we felt like we made some strides in the right direction,” Enders said. “After the first session, (teammate) Jeg (Coughlin) was No. 1 and I was No. 2. I was hoping to redeem myself and my crew chief said, ‘If we do our job, we’ll be on the pole.’ We did our job. It’s nice to be able to go to bed being No. 1 right now.”

Eddie Krawiec will chase his second straight NHRA Carolina Nationals presented by WIX Filters victory on Sunday. Friday’s qualifying sessions saw Krawiec’s Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson post a best-in-class 6.806-second, 197.83-mph pass.

“We underestimated (the track surface) in our first run,” Krawiec said. “The track was good. We came out, made the proper changes. … Rolling into tomorrow, cooler weather means that run could definitely not stand as the No. 1 qualifier. There’s five or six who could take the pole from me. It makes it interesting.”

The forecast for this weekend’s fourth race of the six-event NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series’ Countdown to the Championship features cooler temperatures and clear weather – meaning Saturday’s all-important third and fourth rounds of qualifying could switch up the order for Sunday’s eliminations.

TICKETS:
Tickets, camping and upgrades for NHRA Carolina Nationals presented by WIX Filters are available at the gates, by visiting www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/tickets/ or calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Every ticket is a pit pass. Kids 13 and younger get in FREE with an adult ticket purchase.

KEEP TRACK:
Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway, zMAX Dragway and The Dirt Track at Charlotte by following on Twitter and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

CMS PR

David Gilliland captured the pole position for the Fr8Auctions 250 on Friday at Talladega Superspeedway, setting the stage for Saturday’s critical NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoff race.

The Fr8Auctions 250, set for Saturday at noon CDT, is the last race of the first NASCAR Playoff round for the truck series – and will trim the field of championship contenders to six. After three more events, the series will have its “Championship 4” finalized for the season’s last race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

For the eight drivers currently alive in the championship battle, a victory Saturday will award automatic advancement to the next round. But the “wild card” nature of Talladega’s 2.66-mile tri-oval means that in terms of a race victory, virtually everyone is a contender.

And that high-banked reality is personified by Gilliland (No. 51 Pedigree Toyota), racing in the truck series at Talladega for the first time, for Kyle Busch Motorsports. His overall Talladega resume, though, bodes well for Saturday. Gilliland won the pole for the track’s October 2006 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, and started second in April 2007. He also has four top-10 ‘Dega finishes in Monster Energy Series competition.

Gilliland topped qualifying at 180.570 mph. Spencer Gallagher (No. 2 Allegiant Chevrolet) will start alongside on the front row. Gilliland’s son Todd (No. 4 Pedigree Puppy Toyota) will start sixth.

Also Saturday, at 10:05 a.m. CDT, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series will have its only practice session. Foodland/Food Giant Qualifying is set for 3:35 p.m. CDT, to establish the starting lineup for the weekend’s main event – Sunday’s 1000Bulbs.com 500.

Saturday night, fans also can enjoy off-track activities. Kids Movie Night will take place in the FOX Sports 1 Dome (located behind the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, just outside the track), with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. CDT. Anyone holding a Sunday ticket will also have access to the traditional Saturday Night Infield Concert presented by Wind Creek Casino and Hotel (6 p.m. CDT), located in the infamous infield at the 2.66-mile venue, featuring country music artist Chris Janson.

TSS PR