If you’ve been paying attention to the NASCAR Cup Series this season, you’ve probably seen more of Todd Gilliland than ever before. And rightfully so, as the 24-year-old racer is having the best season of his career at NASCAR’s top level, driving the No. 38 for Front Row Motorsports.
That campaign was further bolstered by a strong run in Sunday’s Brickyard 400, where Gilliland brought home a season-best sixth-place result on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, the second-best finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career.
Now, Gilliland’s two best finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series have come on the grounds of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, having finished a career-best fourth on the IMS Road Course in 2022.
“I think our [Ford] Mustang was really competitive. We were a little tight on exit the whole race, but that is part of it,” said Gilliland. “Our car had good speed when we stayed up there. It was an interesting race. It was hard to pass.”
The afternoon started pretty run-of-the-mill for Gilliland, as the native of Sherrills Ford, North Carolina methodically worked his way through the field, on a racetrack that many considered nearly impossible to make passes on.
Ryan Bergenty (crew chief) kept Gilliland on the racetrack at the end of the first stage, giving the No. 38 Ford Mustang some much-needed track position with a plan to pit three-quarters of the way through the second segment and regain track position when others pitted before the final stage.
That plan was all for not when a small hiccup on the pit stop put Gilliland outside of the necessary delta to remain on the lead lap. When the second stage finished on Lap 100, the No. 38 was a lap down, and the recipient of the free pass.
A new plan had to quickly be formulated, with Bergenty bringing Gilliland down pit road three times in the first 12 laps of the final stage, at Lap 100, 106, and 112. After that, the third-year NASCAR Cup Series driver didn’t return to the pits until after the checkered flag was displayed, seven laps past the race’s scheduled distance of 160 laps.
Those in front of Gilliland slowly trickled to the pits to make their final trips to pit road, promoting those who had already done so to the front of the pack, and putting them back in contention to score a prestigious and potentially career-defining victory.
As the race delved into multiple attempts at NASCAR Overtime, Gilliland had advanced as high as fourth, promoting him to select the outside lane for what ended up being the final restart, a decision that would be met with regret after sliding back to sixth.
“We didn’t do good on the strategy for the middle part of the race, but then it put us in a position where it worked out for us in the end,” said Gilliland. “Just disappointing a little bit. I was fourth on the last restart and probably should have chose the bottom looking back on it, but that is how it goes sometimes. You live and you learn.”
The result itself was overwhelmingly positive for the Front Row Motorsports driver, who recorded his fourth top-10 result of the season, matching a single-season high. It’s also the continuance of a wonderful stretch of races for Gilliland, who in the last 13 NASCAR Cup Series events has only finished worse than 17th twice, at Dover at Pocono.
That level of consistency has landed Gilliland inside the top-20 in regular-season point standings, boasting an average finish of 19.0, three spots improved from last year. It’s also afforded him some job security, signing a multi-year contract extension with Front Row Motorsports earlier this year.
In these later stages of the regular season, securing a berth into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is a hefty goal for Gilliland, who at more than 100 points below the cutline would almost certainly need a victory in the next four races.
But, no matter the outcome — whether the No. 38 team makes the post-season, or not — Gilliland has still come into his own, and will look to be a contender for victories in 2025.
