A Recap of the Weekend Past
Front Row Motorsports covered the country this past weekend.
Todd Gilliland and his No. 38 Frontline Enterprises Ford F-150 team finished fourth in Knoxville, Iowa on Friday evening.
Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series returned to the Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway. Anthony Alfredo and the No. 38 Georgia Peanuts team finished 26th. Michael McDowell and the No. 34 Fr8 Auctions Ford Mustang team finished 27th.
TODD GILLILAND. NO. 38 FRONTLINE ENTERPRISES FORD F-150. FINISHED 4.
Gilliland and the No. 38 Frontline Enterprises Ford F-150 team finished fourth on Friday evening at the Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway on dirt. Gilliland led a season-high 61 laps at the famous track and finished second and third in the stages before finishing fourth at the checkered. The FRM team is now fourth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings.
The weekend started off rough for Gilliland after getting into the wall in practice. The team worked all evening and all day on Friday to get the race truck repaired. The truck came back better than ever as Gilliland raced from 10th to fourth in his heat race. That allowed him to start third in the feature.
Gilliland then took the Frontline Enterprises Ford F-150 to the front early in the race. Gilliland was just passed late in the stage. In the second stage, the No. 38 once again led. He finished third in the stage. The final run, the team had to work back though the field after getting new tires. Gilliland quickly moved back into the top-five and had a run at the win late, but fell just short of getting his second win.
The truck team returns Saturday, August 7 at the Watkins Glen International road course.
GILLILAND ON KNOXVILLE RACEWAY:
"I put us behind on Thursday in practice, getting into the wall, but the guys worked really hard and we came back with a really fast Frontline Enterprises Ford F-150. We passed a lot of trucks in our heat race and started up front. The truck was good and we led a lot of laps. It was frustrating to lose the first two stages right at the end, but we had a chance to win at the end. Just a lot of cautions, and we needed a few green laps to get the victory. But, it's another top-five and I have to thank everyone for working so hard on this Front Row Motorsports team. We're in contention each race now and we just want to keep getting better and better. We'd love to get another win at Watkins Glen in a few weeks."
ANTHONY ALFREDO. NO. 38 GEORGIA PEANUTS MUSTANG. FINISHED 26
Anthony Alfredo and the No. 38 team had the home state support of Georgia Peanuts with them on Sunday. It was the second time they supported Alfredo at the track. The team finished 26th.
Alfredo started the race 32nd, but quickly showed speed. Alfredo raced up to 23rd in the first stage and made an incredible move to avoid a wreck by going low around two spinning cars. Alfredo finished Stage 1 in 27th.
The team made changes and Alfredo was faster in Stage 2. He kept pace with the pack and finished the stage in 26th. After more adjustments to help tighten up the car, Alfredo maintained his position throughout the final laps. He actually gained two positions late, passing Ryan Newman and McDowell for position.
Earlier in the weekend, Alfredo made a donation of peanut butter with Georgia Peanut to Canine Assistants outside Atlanta. Canine Assistants aids those in need with support dogs.
ALFREDO ON ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
"We made a lot of improvements in Atlanta. We came with a different setup and that helped us. We didn't get the finish we wanted, but we had a smart, clean race. I had a lot of fun on this surface and now I'm ready to see what the new Atlanta looks like. I met a lot of great people from Georgia Peanut this weekend, it was great to do another donation, and I had a lot of fun."
MICHAEL MCDOWELL. NO. 34 FR8 AUCTIONS FORD MUSTANG. FINISHED 27
Michael McDowell and the No. 34 Fr8 Auctions Ford Mustang team did not have the race they hoped for on Sunday. The car just didn't react to the track as needed and McDowell finished 27th.
In Stage 1, McDowell raced 29th and told the team that the car was tight as the crew made big adjustments. The changes did help and McDowell moved to 25th. The team struggled with track position throughout the race and never really were able to get inside the top-20. They tried pit strategy, but a lack of cautions never allowed it to work out as needed.
The weekend, however, had many positives including a stop by McDowell to Camp Braveheart in Georgia- a camp supported by Fr8 Auctions and #BraveLikeWyatt. McDowell visited children at the camp who are overcoming heart defects. McDowell then made a visit to Fr8 Auctions Headquarters and helped host them at the track. Fr8 Auctions continues to be a leader in the greater Atlanta community.
MCDOWELL ON ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
"We just missed it and I hate it for Fr8 Auctions who do so much for us. They are great people and we wanted to give them a better showing. We're working hard to get better, but today wasn't meant to be. But, the team is working hard and we'll get back to better finishes soon."
-30-