Catchfence

Hoping to Carry Momentum from Talladega

Statesville, N.C. (November 2, 2010) - David Gilliland and the Taco Bell Ford team head to Texas Motor Speedway this week hoping to pick up where they left off on the last lap of Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. In Sunday’s race, Gilliland ran near the front for the entire race and was looking at a potential top-10 finish until he was collected in a last-lap accident.

The team will be in a position to qualify on speed in the No. 38 Fusion at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth facility, which is a favorite of Gilliland’s. He has eight Cup Series career starts at Texas, with a top finish of 15th.

Comments from Taco Bell Driver David Gilliland on Texas Motor Speedway and Team Goals for Final 2010 Races:

“I really enjoy going to Texas. It’s one of my favorite racetracks – probably in the top two. It’s a fast track. You really get a sensation of speed as your racing. If your car is good, you can really go and pass people, and the groove has really widened out in the past couple years where you can run up high if you have to. It’s just a lot of fun to race there.

“We’ve got a lot of friends and family in the area, and there are a lot of great restaurants there, too. I love the way they cook there. So it’s a place I definitely look forward to going to every time it’s on the schedule. It’s fun to race there and fun away from the track, too.

“Last time we were in Texas, I felt like we had a good car. We came in with some confidence in our set-up because it had worked well for us at Atlanta a few weeks before, and we felt like we were good to go. But then we had a mechanical problem early in the race, so we didn’t get to show what we really had. But I feel like we can go back now and take care of some unfinished business and have a good race.

“I’m really proud of how we did at Talladega. We had a good car and were having a great day until that last lap. We didn’t get the finish we should’ve, but everyone on our Taco Bell team should feel good about our day there. We had great pit stops, good pit strategy, good spotting – it was a great team effort. This group has been together since the (September) Atlanta race and I think we’ve made some great progress as a team in that time.

“I’m not 100-percent sure on next year, but hopefully (crew chief) Peter Sospenzo and I can work again together. So for these last few races, we want to just build on our notes of what I need in practice to be good in the race. I think that will be a big step in being better next year. I’m hearing the nose on the cars will be a little different next year, so the cars won’t be exactly the same. But I think a lot of what we learn in the later part of this season can help us next year.”

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 A&W All American Food Ford driven by Dave Blaney.

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