Chicago Complements Gilliland’s Style

David Gilliland is ready to show off his style this weekend – driving style, that is. The unique mile-and-a-half tri-oval of Chicagoland Speedway is the perfect stage for Gilliland to showcase the progress the No. 34 team has made in its mile-and-a-half program.

The high-banked turns of Chicagoland Speedway cater to Gilliland’s driving style, making him confident for a good run in Sunday’s Geico 400. The team seemed to be on its way to solid finishes at the mile-and-a-half tracks in the first half of the season, but those strong runs were often marred by accidents.

Gilliland will make his fifth Sprint Cup Series start at Chicagoland on Sunday, looking to top a career-best finish of 16th.

Comments from Front Row Motorsports Ford team driver David Gilliland heading to Chicago:

“I definitely like the mile-and-a-half stuff. The more banking the better for me – I guess it just fits my driving style better. Chicago is a lot of fun. The transitions into the corner are nice and I’m looking forward to going out there with our mile-and-a-half program that’s progressively been getting better and better. It was our weak point at the beginning of the year, but I feel like we made some big gains. Hopefully we can go out to Chicago and have a good weekend.

“We’re starting the ‘chase’ this weekend. The strategy is going to be different for those racing in it and guys like us who are not. The top 12 teams are going out there racing for a win or to maximize their points. They are also looking to avoid costly mistakes and that sort of thing. With our ’34’ team at Front Row Motorsports, we’re using these last 10 races to take a few more steps forward in our program. We hit on some pretty good things with our set-ups over the last couple months and we’re looking to build off that to give us a good starting point for next year. 

“I think the realistic goal for our team is top-20 finishes. That’s the mindset we leave the shop with every weekend and try to execute that throughout the weekend. A top-20 finish for us is good, and once we get to the point where we are a top-20 team each and every week then we can build from there and try and move our sights higher.

“Of course, we go back to Talladega next month, which is a track where we know we’re capable of a top-10 or even winning. So, we might not be in the Chase, but we’ve still got some things to prove and look forward to before the season ends.”

Front Row Motorsports PR