Driver Derailed by Another’s Impatience during June Race
STATESVILLE, N.C. (September 24, 2013) – David Gilliland was having a solid weekend at Dover (Del.) International Speedway during the Sprint Cup Series’ first visit to the track in June. His Long John Silver’s Ford showed good speed throughout the practice and qualifying sessions and was logging fast laps in the race when Gilliland was knocked into the wall by Ryan Newman, who had grown impatient after trying unsuccessfully to pass the No. 38.
Dover is one of many tracks where Gilliland and crew chief Frank Kerr have made strides in their program this season, and the team will return to the “Monster Mile” with something to prove in the second visit this weekend.
Sunday’s AAA 400 will be Gilliland’s 15th start at the one-mile oval. His best career result at Dover is 16th (2008).
Comments from Long John Silver’s team driver David Gilliland heading to Dover:
“Dover was really good for us in the spring. The car was really fast, but we ended up getting caught up in an accident with Ryan Newman that ended our day early. We were very disappointed with that but felt like we learned a ton in the race and felt like when the race started we were right where we needed to be.
“We had really good speed throughout the long runs and actually got better throughout the runs. So we were really happy with that and look forward to going back and taking what we learned in the weeks preceding that race and see what we got.
“The track definitely lives up to its name for sure. It’s definitely the Monster Mile, but it’s a great racetrack. It’s very challenging and very physically demanding and very different from anything else we go to. To see long green-flag runs was a little bit surprising last time. But I think toward the end of the year here, people are going to be more aggressive, and I don’t think we’re going to see as many long green-flag runs as we had.”
About Front Row Motorsports:
Front Row Motorsports fields the No. 34 of David Ragan, the No. 38 of David Gilliland and the No. 35 of Josh Wise in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The team is owned by Bob Jenkins and is headquartered just outside of Charlotte, N.C. In 2012, FRM was named to INC Magazine’s “INC 5000” list, recognizing the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., earning a rank of 800. Its partnership base is representative of more than $200 billion of the U.S. economy and includes organizations such as Ford Motor Company, CSX Transportation, Love’s Travel Stops, McCall Farms, Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s. For sponsorship inquiries, contact Robin Johnson at rjohnson@frontrowmotorsports.com or Mike Laheta at mlaheta@frontrowmotorsports.com.
