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Statesville, N.C. (May 10, 2011) - David Gilliland isn't afraid of the monster. In fact, the driver of the No. 34 Taco Bell Ford eagerly awaits his match-up with Dover (Del.) International Speedway, the high-banked, concrete oval known as the "Monster Mile." For Sunday's FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks, the team is preparing a car similar to the Taco Bell Ford that ran at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in March. Gilliland had a fast car at Bristol and led some laps, but had a strong effort ruined by a flat tire late in the race.
Gilliland has nine career starts at Dover, with a top finish of 16th (2008). His Taco Bell Ford will carry the "Autism Speaks" decal to support this weekend's autism awareness efforts at Dover International Speedway.
Comments from Taco Bell team driver David Gilliland on Dover:
"Dover is probably the track most like Bristol that we race on, and we had a super-fast car at Bristol. I felt like we were very competitive on the racetrack from the time we unloaded. We even led some laps during the race. And Dover is a track that we ran well at last year, too.
"My first time there I learned they call it 'the monster' for a good reason. It's a tough place. And it's physically demanding, just like Bristol. But I've definitely learned to love it over the years. I'm really looking forward to going there. I feel like we can take what we learned at Bristol, unload and be exactly where we need to be.
"We've always qualified pretty decent at Dover - even within the top-10 one time. So if we can bring a fast car, run a good qualifying lap and get a good starting position for the race, I really like our chances. Our Taco Bell Ford Fusion can be competitive.
"You definitely don't want to get in trouble at Dover because you're probably not going to get by with a little scrape. When something happens there, it usually gets pretty messy because the banking makes cars slide down the track when they wreck, so even more cars wind up getting collected.
"Dover is concrete, and the biggest thing I've noticed about concrete in comparison to other tracks is the seams. As you get going, and the tire pressure builds up, the seams always seem to be an issue. So, that's something that we will focus on immediately from the time we unload."
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