Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS)
Talladega Superspeedway
Race 19 of 23 – 250.04 miles, 94 laps
October 13, 2018
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITION
1st, Timothy Peters*
2nd, Myatt Snider*
3rd, DAVID GILLILAND
4th, Justin Haley*
5th, Wendell Chavous*
13th, NOAH GRAGSON
15th, KORVIN FORRISTER
17th, BRETT MOFFITT
18th, SCOTT LAGASSE JR.
20th, TODD GILLILAND
29th, BO LE MASTUS
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA DRIVER POINT STANDINGS**
1st, Johnny Sauter*# 3042 points
2nd, BRETT MOFFITT# 3027 points
3rd, NOAH GRAGSON# 3025 points
4th, Grant Enfinger*# 3017 points
5th, Justin Haley*# 3013 points
6th, Matt Crafton*# 3003 points
10th, TODD GILLILAND 478 points
*non-Toyota driver
**unofficial point standings
· Tundra driver David Gilliland was the top Toyota-finisher in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Playoffs cutoff race at Talladega Superspeedway after placing third.
· Gilliland would lead the field to green after capturing the NCWTS pole on Friday afternoon.
· Toyota NCWTS Playoffs drivers Noah Gragson and Brett Moffitt advanced to the Round of 6 based on points after top-20 finishes at Talladega.
· The pair of Tundra drivers will enter the Round of 6 ranked second and third in the playoffs standings.
· In his first superspeedway start, Tundra driver Todd Gilliland would lead 13 laps, win Stage 2 of the race and finish 20th after being involved in an incident in the final stage.
TOYOTA QUOTES
DAVID GILLILAND, No. 51 Pedigree Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Finishing Position: 3rd
What was it like running first and second with Todd during the race?
“It was fun. The Tundra was really fast out here. I had a lot of fun being able to race with my son. It was a dream day until he got wrecked there. It was a bummer. It is Talladega. Stuff does happen. It was a lot of fun. A great weekend overall. We got the pole and finished well. Thank you to Toyota and TRD (Toyota Racing Development), and Kyle Bush Motorsports. Everyone who lets us race here.”
NOAH GRAGSON, No. 18 Safelite AutoGlass Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Finishing Position: 13th
Did you know you were locked into the next round of the Playoffs on the last restart?
“On the last restart, my crew chief Rudy Fugle told me, ‘Hey man, we’re pretty much locked into the next round so listen to your spotter Tony Hirschman and do whatever you have to do to go up there and win the thing.’ I’m a terrible speedway racer and I didn’t know what I was doing – I was just listening to my spotter and he did a really good job. We were bobbing and weaving our way up there and it played out in my favor. These things, you can’t get away or too far out because they’re just going to pass you. I was looking in my mirror those last six or seven laps and got collected, but before that it was a blast, a lot of fun.”
Were you trying to block Timothy Peters when the accident occurred?
“I was just trying to keep Timothy (Peters) with me and have him keep pushing because that was the only way we were going to be able to win the race. Not trying to block, but just trying to stay with my line. That’s speedway racing. I don’t blame anybody in there and I hope they don’t blame me. Hopefully we gave the fans one hell of a finish because it was fun in the driver’s seat. Normally I hate racing at these places, but that was a lot of fun.”
You don’t blame Timothy Peters for the bump at the end of the race, correct?
“No, he was trying to push me to get the win and at the end of the day, that’s the only thing that matters. It is what it is.”
BRETT MOFFITT, No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota Tundra, Hattori Racing
Finishing Position: 17th
How was your day today given everything that happened?
“It sucked. I thought we were in a good position and then someone got hit into me early which caused tire rub on the right rear and right front. We ended up blowing a couple of right rears there. Fortunately, we’re able to hang on to the truck and fix it. I am just thankful we made it through. It was a stressful day and I am not a big fan of restrictor-plate races. I am looking forward to going to some tracks where we have some more confidence. I am proud of this Hattori Racing team.”
What’s one thing you need to improve on?
“It was a crapshoot here but we need to execute better. Las Vegas I couldn’t get the fuel box full, which was my fault. We couldn’t get going on the restart. The road course I felt we had a really good truck but I couldn’t keep it all day. I think we’ve had the speed but we need to execute the races better.”
What was the challenges of the day? Did you ever feel comfortable?
“I wasn’t comfortable at all. Every single speedway race I’ve been whether it’s Cup Series or Truck Series, I have been leading and gotten wrecked. I’ve been running in the back and have tried to be conservative and have gotten wrecked. And today, I was a middle man and got wrecked. It happens. That’s the stressful part about Talladega. A lot is out of your control. We were trying to mind our own business and people run into you, it almost cost us a shot at the title. Thankfully things worked out they were supposed to. That could have been a blessing in disguise. I could have been caught up with some of the wrecks and been completely out of the race. We’ll move on to some races we’re confident in and try to win races.”
TODD GILLILAND, No. 4 Pedigree Puppy Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Finishing Position: 20th
What happened that caused you to spin?
“I was just trying to get under the 98 (Grant Enfinger) while I could and I felt like it was a good situation. I could see him coming up and I got into him a little bit in the middle of (turn) four and he got really far up off the bottom. I tried to fill the hole and I was to his wheel and he came back down. Just racing here and that’s what it’s all about I guess. I was having a lot of fun up until then and my truck was fast. That was a lot of fun. I guess we’ll just rebound and we won a stage so we’ll just focus on Daytona next year I guess. This was my first time doing it so I guess not too bad.”
