While still competing for Front Row Motorsports, there is a lot of change happening around Todd Gilliland as the NASCAR Cup Series enters the 2025 campaign.
After three seasons of driving the team’s No. 38 Ford Mustang, Gilliland will slide over to the flagship No. 34, as the 24-year-old driver contests his fourth full-time season at NASCAR’s top level. With that comes a new anchor partner, Love’s Travel Stops, which will serve as the primary sponsor in 18 races, beginning with the DAYTONA 500.
“I think that’s probably the coolest part to me about moving into the Front Row [Motorsports] Love’s [Travel Stops] car. It’s a much more identifiable car I feel like, whether it’s the actual visual brightness of it on the racetrack and on myself too,” said Gilliland. “But just having the consistency, I think they’re on the car for half the season, and like I said it’s a recognizable car, and there’s a lot of support from the brand, and the higher-ups in the brand, so that’s what it takes to be successful.”
“Especially to start building my own brand, with the car number, with a big sponsor, so it’s definitely going to be fun and cool for me to represent them,” he added.
The changes don’t end with the visuals of the racecar, either. Chris Lawson, who worked with Gilliland in two seasons of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition, has been tapped by Front Row Motorsports to serve as shot-caller of the No. 34 in 2025.
“I think our expectations slowly keep climbing,” Gilliland said. “I think we’ve seen that with Front Row in the past, as far as probably one to two spots better in points year after year, but I think at this point, where we’re at now, it’s a massive jump to the next level. Really, the next guys – Kyle Busch is right in front of us, playoff bubble guys who are running inside the top-10 each week.”
“We did a really good job of maximizing our weekends and getting good finishes at the end of the races, but we still have a long way to go as far as racing inside the top-10, getting stage points every week, that’s definitely our goals and what we want to achieve, and I think we’re definitely getting closer,” he exclaimed.
With Michael McDowell moving on to drive the No. 71 for Spire Motorsports, Gilliland is now the most senior driver at Front Row Motorsports, having spent the last five years competing for the team between the Cup and Truck Series. Needless to say, the Sherrills Ford, North Carolina native is ready to get the season underway and continue carrying the banner for Front Row Motorsports in 2025.
“I think last year was a massive step for us, at least me and the No. 38 team last year, was a big step to be right there with the No. 34 in points,” Gilliland said. “My first two years the No. 34 was head and shoulders better than us week-in and week-out and definitely showed it in points position and everything, but for us, last year we passed them in the last race, and that was the moment of we can compete and be the leader of this team.”
“Obviously, it’s still sad to see Michael [McDowell] go, because I feel like he’s a benchmark guy, he’s done so much, he’s going to get the most out of his car, but I feel confident that we can do the same. At first, I was a little sad to move numbers because I was like it’s cool to run the No. 38, but with Love’s and the No. 34 and everything, and definitely the perception of it being the flagship car at Front Row is definitely a good opportunity.”
Joining Gilliland at the refreshed three-car outfit for Front Row Motorsports are Noah Gragson and 2022 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Zane Smith, who will pilot the No. 4 and No. 38 Ford Mustang Dark Horse entries.
It’s an interesting dynamic for the trio of 20-somethings, who are very good friends away from the racetrack. That relationship in itself is likely to be a benefit as teammates this coming season and came to be about simply by racing against each other for the last decade or so.
“It’s come from years of racing against each other. We grew up – at least me and Noah moreso ran a lot of K&N [Pro Series] West races together, we were teammates in the Truck Series [for Kyle Busch Motorsports], and some bumps along the way, but I feel like that builds stronger relationships,” Gilliland mentioned.
“Me and Noah [Gragson] are really close, and with Zane [Smith] obviously being a rookie last year – I guess we go back the year before, we were splitting a car, that kind of brought us closer and further together at times and still I think gave us a lot of mutual respect from all three of us together, so I think that’s the biggest thing. We’ve had good times and bad times together but now that we’re all on the same team, it’s going to be really strong.”
After qualifying in the top five for five of the six superspeedway events last season and watching his teammate Michael McDowell sit on the pole six times, Gilliland will look to claim his first career pole in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Daytona 500 pole qualifying will take place Wednesday, February 12 at 8:00 PM ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
