After a four-week hiatus, the NASCAR Truck Series is back in action this weekend at the Martinsville Speedway. On Saturday, Todd Gilliland will carry the blue and gold livery of Speedco aboard his No. 38 Ford F-150 along with major associate partner, Luber-finer.
With only two races remaining in the 2021 season, Gilliland heads to Martinsville only four points out of leading the NASCAR Truck Series Owners Championship and knows that a victory on Saturday would propel his No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford into the lead for next weekend’s season-finale at the Phoenix Raceway.
“Martinsville (Speedway) has been a great track for me over the last few years,” said Gilliland. “It’s definitely one of those races that our team has had circled on the calendar as a place where we feel a little bit more confident about showing up to contend for the win.”
As a previous Truck Series winner at Martinsville, Gilliland knows what it takes to win on the short tracks and looks to capture his second grandfather clock on Saturday.
“Short track racing is a lot of fun, but it’s also a lot of work. When you have a truck that handles well, you can really get into a rhythm of knocking out consistent lap times, which makes for a great day,” Gilliland added. “But what really makes a half-mile track like Martinsville so tough is that you don’t really get a chance to rest unless it’s under caution. At most mile-and-a-half tracks, you can loosen your grip on the wheel and re-adjust down the straightaways, but at a track like Martinsville, you’re constantly on the wheel because of how short it is.”
Gilliland elaborated on the toughness of Martinsville by saying, “another crucial component to short track racing is learning how to manage your brakes as they can only handle so much before wanting to give out on you. If you’re continuously overdriving the entry of each corner for multiple laps, your brakes are eventually going to over heat and fail, which can definitely put you out of the race early.”
The green flag for Saturday’s NASCAR Truck Series race at the Martinsville Speedway is scheduled to drop at 1 p.m. ET with race coverage airing live on FS1.
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