May 24, 2008
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600
September 1, 2007
David Gilliland (born on April 1, 1976 in Riverside,
California) is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives
the #38 Ford for Yates Racing in the NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series. He is the son of former Cup and West
Coast driver Butch Gilliland. He is mentored by
former Nextel Cup race winner Jerry Nadeau.
In 1996, he began working on his father's AutoZone
West Series team. By 1999, Gilliland won the track
championship at Perris Auto Speedway (a dirt track).
Then, the following year he began a limited season
in the NASCAR AutoZone West Series.
In 2003, Gilliland won five races in the NASCAR
AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series in the #11
Centrifugal Technologies Chevrolet. He finished the
season with five top-fives and eight top-tens and a
6th place finish in points.
In 2004, Gilliland announced plans to run the full
schedule in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division,
Southwest Series in the No. 88 Chevrolet for MRG
Motorsports and all non-conflicting NASCAR Grand
National Division, West Series (now AutoZone West)
races. He won his first AutoZone West win at Mesa
Marin Raceway, in his home city. He was then NASCAR
Grand National Division, West Series
Rookie-of-the-Year. He also had two victories in
NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series.
Gilliland made his first attempt at a major NASCAR
race in 2003, at the Las Vegas 350 in the Craftsman
Truck Series, but failed to qualify. He announced
that Clay Andrews Racing would form in mid-2005.
Gilliland made his Busch Series debut at Phoenix,
qualifying 28th. However, he was involved with an
early crash and finished 43rd. Gilliland made the
other Phoenix race later in the year, but had the
same result. He was 43rd after ignition troubles.
Also, he ran the #15 Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevy
at Vegas in the Craftsman Truck Series with a 22nd
place finish.
Meanwhile, Gilliland raced in the Grand National
Division in 2005 and won the Toyota All-Star
Showdown in 2005 when apparent winner Mike Olson was
disqualified for light wheels wider than regulation.
The win was his biggest of date because it allowed
him to be noticed by Busch and Cup owners.
Gilliland began running the #84 Clay Andrews Chevy
part-time in 2006, where he drew praise from many
veterans, including announcer Darrell Waltrip.
Gilliland, however, struggled to finish races, only
earning a best of 29th in his first four starts of
the year. However, in his next outing, Gilliland
scored his first career Busch Series win at Kentucky
on June 17. Gilliland drove the 84 Hype
Manufacturing Chevrolet to victory, becoming the
first driver of 2006 to win a Busch race who was not
also running a full-time Nextel Cup schedule. FX
television announcer Hermie Sadler called the
victory "the biggest upset in Busch Series history".
Gilliland made his first attempt to make a Cup race
at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, CA, in the #72 CJM
Racing Chevrolet, qualifying 31st, and finishing
32nd. In August 2006, Gilliland replaced Elliott
Sadler as the driver of the M&M's Ford in the NEXTEL
Cup Series. On October 7, he qualified on the pole
for the UAW Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, the
first pole of his career. He won his second career
pole at the Daytona 500, his first points-paying
race at the track, and finished twenty-eighth in
NEXTEL Cup points.
Gilliland drove part-time in the Busch Series for
Team Rensi Motorsports with sponsorship from
FreeCreditReport.com in 2007, splitting the driving
duties at Rensi with rookie Richard Johns. His best
finish was a tenth at Daytona.
David Gilliland's #38 Ford has finally landed a
primary sponsor. At least for the first seven races.
FreeCreditReport.com, which currently sponsors David
in the Nationwide Series, signed with Gilliland.
