Daytona International Speedway Competition Notes
TEAM AND RACE NOTES
Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 team will make their second trip to Daytona Beach, Florida and the Daytona International Speedway this Friday and Saturday. Boot Barn is back to ride along with Gilliland for the regular season finale.
For Gilliland and the Boot Barn team, all chips are in to win on Saturday night to advance Gilliland into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. It’s a win-and-in situation for Gilliland who has impressed at Daytona in his limited Cup starts at the track.
Track activity will begin with qualifying on Friday at 5:00 p.m. ET. Saturday’s 400-mile race is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on NBC.
COMPETITION NOTES
Gilliland returns to the track for the second time this year after competing in the Daytona Duels and the Daytona 500. Gilliland led laps in his Daytona Duel before finishing seventh.
In his other Daytona starts, Gilliland has proved he can lead in the draft and be a contender in the end.
CREW CHIEF RYAN BERGENTY
“It’s all or nothing and I love that pressure. I love this scenario and I know we’ve got the guys behind the wheel who can do it. Todd has wheeled it with the best of them at Daytona and that has earned him the respect to be in position to win.”
DRIVER TODD GILLILAND
“I can’t wait to go back to Daytona. It's one of those tracks that really gets my adrenaline pumping. It can be stressful, but I love it. At these superspeedways, it's all about surviving. You can’t make any mistakes and you need to know when it's time to make a move and when to stay back and wait for a better opportunity.
“We haven’t had that luck you need, but we’ve been fast. We’ve been up front, but I need to be there at the end. It’s something we’re going to think about and make sure that we communicate. We want to win and that’s all that matters.
“I love seeing Boot Barn back on the car. They always deliver the coolest paint schemes. Hopefully I can show it off with a solid performance.”