NASCAR social media has been buzzing recently about Todd Gilliland’s new nickname. The driver of the No. 34 has been deemed, as mentioned during the TNT broadcast of the Cup Series race at North Wilkesboro, “The Toddfather” by the sport’s social media fanbase.
However, the Front Row Motorsports driver is unclear where the nickname comes from. Gilliland earned the new nickname amid some recent highs, including making it to the finals of the In-Season Challenge and signing an extension with Front Row Motorsports.
Still, Gilliland is going to have to do some digging to figure out where “The Toddfather” came from.
Gilliland on ‘Toddfather’ nickname: ‘I’ll take that for now’
During a recent interview with FOX NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass, Gilliland was asked about the origin of “The Toddfather.”
Truthfully, the 26-year-old does not know where it came from. While Gilliland said the fans have given him nicknames in the past, they have all been relatively positive.
For now, Gilliland said he is cool with being called “The Toddfather.”
“I honestly have no idea where that came from. Fans are very interesting. They’ve given me a lot of nicknames. Mostly good, so I’ll take that for now. ‘The Toddfather’ — I don’t know what to think of that,” Gilliland said.
Gilliland assumes the nickname is a spin-off of “The Godfather” movie, and suggests he should watch the film now given the recent buzz.
The bottom line is Gilliland does not know the origin of “The Toddfather,” but laughed when saying the nickname could be worse.
“I guess it’s like ‘The Godfather’, right? From a different movie. I’ve never seen that. Maybe I should watch that as it’s gaining a little bit of traction, at least from my fans. I’ll have to do some more investigating on that, but honestly, I have no idea where it came from. It could be worse, for sure,” Gilliland said.
One thing is for sure, the new nickname coupled with his performance in the In-Season Challenge has put the spotlight on Gilliland in recent weeks.
Gilliland to face Ryan Blaney in the In-Season Challenge finale
Gilliland, who entered the In-Season Challenge as the 25th seed, bested Chase Elliott in the semifinal round last Sunday at North Wilkesboro. The North Carolina native posted an eighth-place finish, his second top-10 run of the season.
Gilliland will face Ryan Blaney, who entered as the third seed, in the final round of the In-Season Challenge this Sunday at Indianapolis. The highest finisher of the two in the Brickyard 400 will be the winner and receive $1 million.
While Gilliland might be seen as the underdog of the battle, he should not be overlooked. Gilliland has finished sixth in the last two Brickyard 400 races and finished ahead of Blaney in last year’s event, who finished seventh.
Gilliland is in his third full-time season of NASCAR Cup Series competition, all spent with Front Row Motorsports. After 21 races, Gilliland sits 23rd in the points standings, the highest of all FRM drivers. He has 17 top-10 finishes in 164 career starts.
NASCAR’s Todd Gilliland Does Not Know The Origin of His Nickname