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The NASCAR Cup Series drivers are in the middle of an off-week, but one rookie is not taking it easy. Front Row Motorsports driver Todd Gilliland has expanded his schedule with a dirt race.
Gilliland announced the news on June 13. He revealed that he will make his return to the Camping World Truck Series for the trip to Knoxville Raceway on June 18 (9 p.m. ET, FS1). Gilliland will take over the No. 17 David Gilliland Racing Ford F-150 for the first time, and he will try to secure his first win since the 2021 season.
“I’m going to run that same Knoxville truck race again this year,” Gilliland said during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “My dad just called me, I’m going to run the No. 17 truck.
“I’m really excited about it. I love dirt racing, at least in a stock car, I haven’t really done anything else, so I don’t really know if that is classified as real dirt racing, but it’s always fun to me just sliding the trucks around, especially at Knoxville. It’s such a cool race track.”
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This Will Mark a Surprising Debut for Gilliland
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GettyTodd Gilliland will join his father’s team at Knoxville Raceway.
The trip to Knoxville Raceway will not be the first for Gilliland, who has started 93 career races in the Truck Series. However, it will mark the first time that he has driven for the team owned by his father.
Gilliland started his Truck Series career with Kyle Busch Motorsports. He made six starts in 2017, 19 in 2018, and then he ran full-time for KBM in 2019. This season was the best of his young career considering that he posted 14 top-10 finishes, as well as a win at Martinsville Speedway.
Gilliland’s last two seasons of his Truck Series career were with Front Row Motorsports. He drove the No. 38 Ford F-150, and he posted 26 top-10 finishes, 14 top-fives, and a win at Circuit of the Americas.
Now Gilliland will return to the Truck Series for the first time since moving full-time to the Cup Series. He will continue a grueling schedule that includes races every single week, but he will embrace the challenge while showcasing his love of racing.
“This is definitely the toughest part of it,” Gilliland said about a packed schedule during an interview with Heavy. “I think it’s a schedule… just going from 22 or 23 races a year to 36, it’s crazy. Like, you literally don’t ever get a break. Monday morning you kind of sleep in a little bit and then it’s right back at it again. I mean, that’s what fun for me too, you know. I’m still young, I love to race every single weekend. But yeah, it’s definitely challenging just trying to get ahead.”
Gilliland Will Add Another Start at a Popular Dirt Track
While Gilliland ran full-time in the Truck Series for three seasons, he only competed one time at Knoxville Raceway. The reason is that the series raced at Eldora Speedway from 2013 until 2019 before moving to a different dirt track.
The 2021 season was the first to feature Knoxville Raceway on the Truck Series schedule. Gilliland suited up for Front Row Motorsports, and he finished fourth overall while Austin Hill took the No. 16 Toyota to Victory Lane.
Along with the one start at Knoxville, Gilliland also made one start at the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track and two at Eldora Speedway. He posted a top-five finish at each track while driving for two different Truck Series teams.
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