NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver Todd Gilliland will participate in this year’s hill climb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed overseas in July. Gilliland’s presence will mark the first time that a NASCAR driver has competed in the historical event in West Sussex, England.
Gilliland will drive a NASCAR Whelen Euro Series M&M’s / Mars Toyota Camry in the 1.16-mile hill climb. He will have a familiar teammate in his father, former Cup driver and current NASCAR team owner, David Gilliland.
“This is an experience of a lifetime,” said Gilliland. “I’m really happy that NASCAR is embracing it and going to have a big footprint at Goodwood this year. Anytime that we can put our sport in front of a new audience, that’s a positive. It’s really cool that my dad will be racing too. That was kind of a last-minute deal, but it’ll be super fun to go through this experience together. My dad had a long relationship with Mars, driving for them in a Cup car, and they partnered with me for some races in the Truck Series, so it’s really special that they are giving us both a chance to do this.”
Gilliland, a 19-year-old, Mooresville, N.C. native, is a third-generation racer. He first entered the NASCAR ranks as a 15-year-old driving in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, where he was victorious in his series debut. Gilliland went on to win back-to-back K&N Pro Series West Championship titles in 2016 and 2017. The Toyota Racing Development driver made his NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series debut in 2017, earning three top-10 finishes in six races that season. He now races fulltime for Kyle Busch Motorsports driving the No. 4 Toyota Tundra, competing for a Gander Outdoors Truck Series Championship title.
“Just the excitement around this event is really special to me. I’ve never been to Europe at all. I’ve watched some Euro Series highlights, and I’m really excited to get behind the wheel of one of those Camrys. It’s going to be cool just taking it all in and meeting a lot of new people and fans over there.”
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