Gilliland Hopes to Clinch his Playoff Spot at Richmond Thursday

Track: Richmond Raceway, 0.75-mile oval
Race: 16 of 23
Event: NGROTS 250 (187.5 miles, 250 laps)
Schedule:  
Thursday, Sept. 10
8:00 p.m.............Race (FS1)
(all times ET)
​
Todd Gilliland, No. 38 Frontline Enterprises Ford F-150
Thursday night's NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series (NGROTS) race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway is the last chance for Todd Gilliland to secure his place in the 2020 playoffs. Richmond, which was not originally on the NGROTS schedule before the Covid-19 pandemic, is now the regular-season finale. Gilliland sits on the bubble in 10th place with a 10-point lead over 11th-place driver Derek Kraus, and is only four points behind ninth place Tyler Ankrum.

Although Gilliland has no prior experience at Richmond, neither do the two drivers he is competing against for the final two spots up for grabs in the playoffs. Gilliland was only five years old the last time the Truck Series raced at Richmond in 2005, but he has watched a lot of film of recent races and spent time on the Ford Performance simulator to prepare for the 250-lap race.

In 15 starts this season, Gilliland has four top-five, nine top-10 finishes and has led 92 laps in the No. 38 Ford F-150 for Front Row Motorsports (FRM). He did not make the playoffs last year in his first full season in the NGROTS, so clinching one of the 10 playoff spots would be a first for him and FRM in the Truck Series. Frontline Enterprises will be the primary sponsor on the No. 38 Ford F-150 Thursday night at Richmond.

The NGROTS 250 from Richmond Raceway will be run on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast live on FS1. The 250-lap race will be broken into three segments with stage-ending cautions on laps 70 and 140.

Quick Facts:
Number of Truck Series Starts at Richmond Raceway: 0
2020 Driver Point Standings: 10th (+10 above playoff cut line)

Gilliland on Richmond: "Before this year we'd be nervous about going to a track we've never been to, but really we've gotten used to dealing with stuff we've never done before. The biggest thing is just getting our setup right for Richmond. We're trying to base it off races in the past like we have been all season. I think our Frontline Enterprises Ford F-150 will be good and hopefully I can get more laps on the Ford simulator to be as prepared as I can. We need to run the best race we can as a team and I think if we do that we should be able to stay above the cut line and focus on the playoffs."