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Statesville, N.C. (March 20, 2012) - David Gilliland has come a long way since getting his first big break at Auto Club Speedway. He has celebrated an underdog victory in the Nationwide Series, a pole position at Daytona International Speedway, and a thrilling dash to third place in last year's Daytona 500. But it was a phone call more than a decade ago that started the chain of events that brought him to the elite Sprint Cup Series today. An invitation to drive in a regional race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. - just a short drive from Gilliland's Riverside home - was the first big milestone in his racing career.
This week he returns to his hometown track in the No. 38 1-800LoanMart Ford, running the green-and-black colors of the Encino, Calif.-based lender and new Front Row Motorsports partner.
"With the No. 38 car allowing our company to give back to local race fans of Southern California, it is a pleasure to endorse a native Californian, David Gilliland, to race with us," said Colby Estes, Director of Marketing for 1-800LoanMart. "With the launch of the new sponsorship, 1-800LoanMart has an opportunity to help thousands of sport fans with their financial needs. The time is right to provide a financial solution that makes us more responsible in future lending. The new sponsorship with Front Row Motorsports will go a long way towards strengthening the company's values and ultimately providing a foundation for a better economy."
Sunday's Auto Club 400 will be Gilliland's 11th Sprint Cup start at the two-mile oval. He and crew chief Pat Tryson will look to top Gilliland's career-best finish at Fontana - 17th (2008).
Comments from 1-800LoanMart team driver David Gilliland going to Fontana:
"The first time I raced in Fontana was in the Winston West Series. I don't remember the year, maybe 2001. I raced for Kenny Smith and they had won the lottery out there. He had an old car, and we went and got it ready and brought it to race. I think we finished fifth or so, so we had a good weekend. It was a lot of fun. It was really exciting and felt great to be racing in front of the hometown crowd.
"I remember when Kenny called me and asked me to do it. It was so close to our house and we had so many people going out there and so many people helping. It was probably the biggest deal to ever happen to me at that time.
"It was part of a dream come true. When I was growing up, my dream was to become a professional race car driver. Each little step and every goal along the way was really special, and the first time racing at California was a big one for me. The second one after that was probably winning the Toyota All-Star Showdown and then winning the Nationwide race at Kentucky. Those were big things. Phoenix and California (now Auto Club Speedway) were our biggest tracks on the west coast and just being able to race there was pretty special.
"We're still working on improving our intermediate program. Vegas was not a great race for us. But we got back to the shop after that race and found some things that were not working in our favor. But we're taking good steps. Just because you don't run well, it doesn't mean you're not learning anything. We didn't run well at Vegas and we feel like we learned a lot. Sometimes you've got to learn what not to do before you can learn what to do. I'm excited to get to Fontana, though. I'm anxious to see what Pat (crew chief Pat Tryson) can bring. He's won there in the past and he's bringing some new ideas to our team and I'm looking forward to trying them.
"It's cool to have 1-800LoanMart on the car this week. They're based in Southern California - and I'm a local, too - so it's great to be able to partner together for the race at our home track. They offer a great service to people who need help getting a loan, and the website is really easy to use. So, we're hoping to have a good weekend for them and get some NASCAR fans to go check out their site."
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