Toyota Daytona Driver Quotes
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS)
Daytona Media Day – February 22, 2017
Toyota driver Todd Gilliland was made available to the media at NASCAR Daytona Media Day:
Todd Gilliland, No. 51 Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Are you excited to join Kyle Busch Motorsports this season?
“I’m very excited to join Kyle Busch Motorsports for the 2017 season. Every time you go to the track with KBM, they have really great stuff, really great equipment, and hard‑working people at the shop. I feel like it’s a great opportunity and probably one of the best truck teams I could have made my debut with.”
What do you think about the young teammates you have at KBM?
“Yeah, so it’s a great group of drivers, also. I get along great with all of them, and luckily we’re all in the same age range there that we can all joke around with each other and all that fun stuff. I think that might help us out a little bit, too, everyone working together. But everyone is going to be busy this year.”
What type of resources will you use at KBM?
“I think my crew chief, Bono, he’s really knowledgeable on all these tracks we’re going to. We’ve already been talking, even though my first race is five or six months out. No, he’s really excited to have me, I think, and he’s always working hard to get me all the knowledge that he has.”
What are you learning about this media stuff? Have you learned that balance yet?
“That’s something that I feel like everyone always works on at all these events. Any time your name can be mentioned in a room with all these reporters like this, it’s always a great opportunity to have. You’ve got to keep the sponsors happy, or we wouldn’t be here, but also, not too many people want to talk to you if you don’t have personality. That’s always such a hard balance to have.”
What’s the best advice you’ve gotten so far from anybody about this?
“I’d say just be yourself because you can always wear shirts and everything with your sponsors on them and people see that and recognize that. Beyond that, just be yourself, show your personality, and do most of your talking on the track, also. I think that’s been a big part of it.”
What do you think about drivers who always mention sponsors, is that annoying to fans?
“I don’t think it’s annoying just because you know what it takes to get to that level. Jimmie Johnson does a really good job I feel like of getting sponsors and showing a little bit of personality, whereas someone like Clint Bowyer shows a lot of personality and a little bit of sponsor. And Jimmie Johnson is a seven‑time champion and Clint is a top‑notch driver. It really just depends on every driver, but I think it’s really cool to see the differences in each driver. I wouldn’t say it’s a really boring ‑‑”
Do you have to go out and win some races where you can really show who you are?
“Yes, probably to the extent of some people, but I feel like if you get your name out before you win a couple races by showing personality, that’s pretty good, also.”
How much different is it or do you think it is if you’re a baseball player or a football player? Is it harder?
“Yeah, exactly. I’d say more of on a football team, it’s a team name or a country ‑‑ not like ‑‑ a city. So that’s a little bit different I’d say. But it’s still hard. There’s always people that have gotten you to the point that you’re at, and it’s always a very hard balance no matter what you’re in. But I feel like racing there’s a lot of emphasis on sponsorship and stuff like that now.”
What type of impact has your family had on your racing career, especially as it relates to how media may treat you?
“No, I feel like my dad and my whole family has always been treated pretty fairly by the media. Especially me, I feel like everyone has been super great to me on the media side of it. They’ve helped me out in so many ways already. I’m sure there’s always going to be some people that don’t like what you’re doing or something like that. Hopefully if you get to a big enough point that there’s going to be a lot of haters, so hopefully I’ll have some haters at some point. That’s something I’m looking forward to.”
How much tougher is it for your generation of drivers with social media – do you have to watch what you say?
“Yep, exactly, because Twitter is so accessible to everyone. People can just click one button and hear everything you say. Sometimes in the heat of the moment, Twitter is the first thing you go to just to check, and then it’s just two buttons away to tweet something you shouldn’t. No, it’s really pretty tough to keep yourself in check, but I feel like that’s something that everyone tells you ‑‑ probably one of the first things they tell you, not to use social media to hurt yourself.”
Do you think they should tell President Trump that?
“Yes, exactly. (Laughs.)”
How confident are you going to be traveling with the Truck Series to get acquainted with them because you have such a late start with them?
“Yeah, I’m actually going to stay out here in Daytona until Friday to watch the Camping World Truck Series race, and I think any time that you can spend with teammates or your team members on the truck, you can learn how they talk to each other, and even if you can get any closer to them, it’s always going to be a plus when you’re in the seat and you’re talking to them and you have to make that last adjustment to qualify in the top 5 or something like that.”
