- Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Todd Gilliland will finally be able to get behind the wheel of the No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series heads to Martinsville. He is not eligible to compete on intermediate tracks, or superspeedways until he reaches his 18th birthday in May. So, until now in 2018, he’s had to sit on the sidelines and watch a cast of substitute drivers pilot his truck.
- His dad, David, drove it in the season-opener at Daytona before his truck owner, Kyle Busch, took over for Atlanta and Spencer Davis drove it in Las Vegas. He will only miss one more race this season at Kansas Speedway on May 11 when Busch will take the wheel for him again.
- Gilliland competed in six races in 2017, posting a pair of top-five and three top-10 finishes. He had a best finish of third at New Hampshire and crossed the line fifth at Martinsville in the fall. He will be racing the same Tundra his KBM teammate, Noah Gragson, won with in that race.
- Mobil 1 will be Gilliland’s primary sponsor for six NCWTS races this season beginning with Martinsville.
How hard has it been watching other people drive your truck for the first three races?
“It’s been very hard. I’m a racer and all I want to do is race. Seeing other people jump in the truck you are going to be in the rest of the year is really tough, but you have to take every opportunity you have to learn and catch up to the guys who already have three more races worth of experience than I do.”
What did you learn from being at the races and listening to feedback on the team radio?
“Anytime you can listen to someone on the radio and especially a Cup champion like Kyle Busch, is always a great honor. Just the way that he can break down every corner of the race car and what needs to be fixed the most and what can wait. I think that’s all stuff you can learn from and what is going to take you to the next level.”
You finished fifth at Martinsville last fall. What is the key to winning there?
“I think it’s going to be tough. The race is all about restarts and track position, so having a fast truck and being able to qualify up front and hopefully controlling the race. Last year in the fall, we were kind of just in the middle of the pack and were able to capitalize and make our Tundra a lot better to keep track position. I’d like to be able to control the race a little bit better this time.”
Todd Gilliland Career Highlights
- Won this year’s season-opening NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race in January at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway after a fierce battle for the win with his KBM teammate, Harrison Burton
- Won a second consecutive NASCAR K&N Pro Series West championship in 2017 after recording six wins, seven poles, 937 laps led, 11 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes across 14 starts
- Ran six NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races for KBM in 2017, scoring a career-best third-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon
Todd Gilliland’s No. 4 Mobil 1 Tundra:
- KBM-025: The No. 4 Mobil 1 team will race KBM-025, for Saturday’s Alpha Energy Solutions 250 at Martinsville Speedway. This is the same Tundra Noah Gragson won with at Martinsville last fall. Christopher Bell also won in this Tundra at Gateway in 2016.
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KBM-025 Performance Profile
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Starts
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Wins
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Average Start
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Average Finish
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Laps Led
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10
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2
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6.1
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6.1
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166
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KBM Notes of Interest
- After Las Vegas, the No. 4 team has two poles with David Gilliland (Daytona) and Kyle Busch (Atlanta) and is ranked seventh in the owner’s championship standings.
- KBM holds the NCWTS records for most career wins (66) and most wins in a single season (14 in 2014). In addition to collecting a series-record six Owner’s Championships, the organization has produced two championship-winning drivers; Erik Jones (2015) and Christopher Bell (2017).
- KBM drivers have collected six wins, 19 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes resulting in an average finish of 8.2 across 40 starts at Martinsville
- Denny Hamlin (2011 and 2012) and Darrell Wallace Jr. (2013 and 2014) each have two wins for KBM at ‘The Paperclip,’ while Kyle Busch and Noah Gragson each have one victory
Kyle Busch Motorsports PR
