Catchfence

Ford Driver Also Gives Thumbs-Up to 2011 Mustang Concept

Statesville, N.C. (June 15, 2010) - David Gilliland has been this close to Victory Lane at Infineon Raceway in a NASCAR Sprint Cup car. His Cup Series career-best finish was second place at the Sonoma, Calif., road course in 2008. That finish, combined with a K&N Pro Series West win and previous success crew-chiefing at Infineon for his father, gives the California native a great deal of confidence going into this weekend’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at the 1.99-mile road course.

The No. 38 Taco Bell Ford team looks forward to the season’s first road course event, when Gilliland will make his fifth Sprint Cup-level appearance at Infineon.

Comments from Taco Bell driver David Gilliland on Infineon Raceway, his crew chief experience and Ford’s potential switch to Mustang in 2011:

“Road course racing is definitely different, and I think it’s a deal where people either like it or they don’t. I definitely like it. I’ve had a lot of success at Sonoma. I grew up going there with my dad and helping him win races as his crew chief, and I’m looking forward to going there. And, because it’s a West Coast race, I’ll have a lot of friends and family out there.

“I had my best Cup finish at Sonoma – I finished second. So I’m excited, especially because we’re working on a new road-course car for us. I feel like we have a great chance of running our best race of the year.

“It will be a good change for the team, too. We haven’t had great runs the past couple ovals we’ve been to, so it’s good we’re shaking things up a little with a road course. I have a lot of confidence with road courses and I really like the facility at Infineon, so I’m eager to get there and get going.

“I think having been a crew chief myself (on father’s team) helps us. Being on the other side of the radio when the driver is telling you information about the car, sometimes you think, ‘Man, I need more information.’ So, having been on the crew chief side, I try to give Randy (crew chief Randy Seals) the best feedback I can and the most information about what I’m feeling in the car. Having been on the other side helped me realize what all he needs to hear.

“I’ve seen some of the COT (Car of Tomorrow) Nationwide cars that Ford has come out with and I think the front-end packages look really good. I think that consumers can identify more easily with the front ends. They have a little more character and a little more factory markings, so I think it would be good to have them in the Cup Series. I’d like to race a Mustang.”

About Front Row Motorsports with Yates Racing:
Front Row Motorsports was formed in 2005 by restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins. Since that time the team has entered a car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series. In 2010, Front Row Motorsports will partner with Ford and Roush/Yates Engines to field a three-car operation based in Statesville, N.C. The team fields the Long John Silver’s Ford driven by Travis Kvapil, the Taco Bell Ford driven by David Gilliland and the ExtenZe Ford driven by Kevin Conway.

- Breaking Limits Marketing for Front Row Motorsports with Yates Racing, Press Release