Gilliland and Crew Make Big Gains at Intermediate Tracks
STATESVILLE, N.C. (November 12, 2013) – Most people will remember the dramatic 1-2 finish where David Gilliland pushed teammate David Ragan to victory at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway earlier this year. But Gilliland and the No. 38 Long John Silver’s team probably look at their improvement at the Sprint Cup Series’ mile-and-a-half tracks as their biggest accomplishment in 2013.
Going into this weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway, the team is averaging a 25th-place finish at 1.5-milers, compared to a 29th-place average finish throughout 2012. The team also has more lead-lap finishes this year on intermediate tracks than one year ago.
Gilliland looks to show that continued progress in the series’ season finale Sunday when he’ll make his eighth career start at Homestead.
The No. 38 Ford Fusion will carry a decal for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society this race weekend. The Society mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of everyone affected by this unpredictable disease affecting the central nervous system. For those seeking more information about MS and the program services offered, they can visit www.nationalMSsociety.org and join the MS movement.
Comments from Long John Silver’s team driver David Gilliland heading to Homestead:
“We’ve had some success at Homestead. It’s a place where you move around the racetrack a lot. There are a lot of grooves, a lot of different lines you can run. So, we’re looking forward to going there. It’s always a special weekend because my wife’s birthday is that weekend. It’s also a big race for Ford, so we’ll be spending some time with some of the executives from Ford and we’ll, of course, want to run well for them in the last race of the season. It loses a lot of grip every year we go down there. The Miami sun is pretty intense. It definitely loses more grip each year than any of the other racetracks we go to, I feel like.
“Obviously we want a good finish for the season. Right now we’re in position for our best points finish since coming to Front Row Motorsports, so that’s an important step to make. We made huge gains on our mile-and-a-half program this year. Tracks that we used to dread going to are now decent tracks for us. And obviously the 1-2 finish at Talladega in May was a high point of the year for us. This team has progressed every year and it’s important to show our sponsors that so we can come back with an even stronger program next year.
“Our car will have a decal for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society this week. We have team members with loved ones affected by this disease and we wanted to show our support and raise some awareness among the NASCAR audience. And now we just heard that Trevor Bayne has been diagnosed with it, so we aren’t the only team affected by it. We obviously wish him the best and expect he’ll be on track rubbing fenders with us for a long time. Advances in treatments have come a long way and with more support, there might actually be a cure someday for everyone affected.”
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.
About the National MS Society:
The Society mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of everyone affected by MS. To fulfill this mission, the Society funds cutting-edge research, drives change through advocacy, facilitates professional education, collaborates with MS organizations around the world, and provides programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. In2012 alone, through its home office and 50-state network of chapters, the Societydevoted $122.1 million to programs and services that assisted more than one millionpeople. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested $43.3 million to support more than 350 new and ongoing research projects around the world. Join the movement at www.nationalMSsociety.org
