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Press ReleaseMarch 6, 2012

Gilliland Returns to Scene of Intro to NASCAR

Driver Wheeled First Laps on Las Vegas Track

Statesville, N.C. (March 6, 2012) - When David Gilliland made his first attempt at qualifying for a NASCAR national series race, he didn't have the benefit of doing it at a low-key, low-pressure track.  He did it at fast and flashy Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.

In 2003, a 27-year-old Gilliland ran his first practice laps in one of NASCAR's top series, the Camping World Truck Series.  The young driver failed to qualify for the weekend's race but he was initiated into the high speeds and high pressures of the top levels of racing.

 

This weekend, the 35-year-old driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford returns to the scene of that initiation with six years of Sprint Cup Series racing now under his belt.  Sunday's Kobalt Tools 400 will be Gilliland's sixth Cup career start at the 1.5-mile oval.  His top finish at Las Vegas is 14th (2009).
 

Comments from Front Row Motorsports team driver David Gilliland going to Las Vegas:

 

"I'll always remember Las Vegas as the place I first tried to qualify for a national race.  It was obviously a very nerve-wracking experience and, of course, in the end it was disappointing because we didn't make the race.  But it was a learning experience and it was a while before I was able to attempt a race on the national level again.  I did wind up in a Nationwide car later on, but when I did finally get the chance to take another shot in a Truck race, it was back at Las Vegas again and that time, we made it.  So that was a good feeling.  We finished 20th or 22nd or somewhere around there, but it felt good to come back and kind of conquer that track.

 

"We're ready for the luck of Vegas to be on our side this weekend in our No. 38 Ford.  The first two races, we were pretty unlucky, getting banged up in both Daytona and Phoenix.  And I think last year at Vegas we had some back luck with a tire problem that put us in the wall, too.  So, we're definitely ready to turn things around and get a good finish. 

 

"Las Vegas Motor Speedway is kind of another home track for me, along with Phoenix and Fontana.  Being from the west coast, it's another one of those tracks where you have lots of friends and family and a lot of memories from racing there in regional series.  And, of course, there's always a lot of fun stuff to do in Vegas.  It's always a fun trip.  They say 'what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.'  But we hope to have a good run and take that success to some of the other mile-and-a-half tracks this season." 

About Front Row Motorsports:

Front Row Motorsports is a Statesville, N.C.-based race team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Formed in 2005 by restaurant and transportation entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, the team has competed in NASCAR racing in each year since its inception, expanding full-time to the premier Sprint Cup Series in 2009. The team partners with ModSpace, Maximum Human Performance, Scorpion Coatings, Ford Racing and Roush-Yates Racing Engines to field the No. 34 Ford driven by David Ragan and the No. 38 Ford driven by David Gilliland.  For sponsorship inquiries contact Robin Johnson, Chief Marketing Officer, at (704) 904-4347.

 

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NEXT RACE: 

KOBALT TOOLS 400, LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Sunday, March 11, 2:30pm ET (FOX)
MEDIA TOOLS: 

HI-RES PHOTOS: Gilliland headshots

PRESS KIT: Bios, team history

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