A night of twists and turns ended in favor for Todd Gilliland at Knoxville Saturday night.
For the first time in his young career, Todd Gilliland strapped himself inside one of his father’s, David Gilliland, truck. After Saturday night in the Clean Harbors 150 he is 1-for-1 when driving a David Gilliland Racing entry. Gilliland took control of a late race restart, slid by John Hunter Nemechek and drove away for the win.
UDPB: @ToddGilliland_ caught up with us after his win at Knoxville to discuss track prep, a step in the right direction for the dirt race here and what he thinks of Iowa Speedway. pic.twitter.com/96dI2m7GvF
— Always Race Day (@AlwaysRaceDay) June 19, 2022
He took over the point on lap 107 from Grant Enfinger then a caution bunched the field together. Nemechek was able to clear Gilliland on the ensuing restart however it wasn’t long before Gilliland regained the lead. Even with a late race restart, Gilliland wouldn’t be denied a chance to win. He powered around Nemechek and held him off for four laps to pick up the win at Knoxville Raceway.
Gilliland picked up the stage two victory and looked to have a pretty fast Ford. However, some strategy was played as four drivers elected not to pit at the end of the stage. With non-competitive pit stops, no position was lost on pit road but teams could elect to stay out. Despite being mired back in traffic, Gilliland found his way to the front.
Restarting the second stage in fifth spot, Gilliland was a beneficiary of Brett Moffitt being black-flagged for jumping the restart. Moffitt got out to a large lead but was called back due to the restart violation. Then it was Gilliland getting around Enfinger for the lead on lap 107 and staying in the top two the remainder of the night.
Early on it was Carson Hocevar out front and sailing away. A really good drive for the injured Hocevar, still recovering from a broken foot. However, midway through the second stage while leading, the motor went up in smoke. Hocevar felt it was an electrical problem in the truck. Regardless he was unable to snatch his first win in the Truck Series Saturday night.
Lots of comers and goers throughout the evening paved the way for Gilliland. This was the first time since Todd’s ARCA days that he was paired with his dad for a ride. The deal came together less than two weeks before the race. Not only did Todd fill the seat, he delivered an early Father’s Day gift taking his DGR truck to victory lane.
Clean Harbors 150 Results:
1. Todd Gilliland
2. John Hunter Nemechek
3. Zane Smith
4. Ty Majeski
5. Stewart Friesen
6. Derek Kraus
7. Matt Crafton
8. Grant Enfinger
9. Tyler Ankrum
10. Ben Rhodes
11. Buddy Kofoid
12. Christian Eckes
13. Chandler Smith
14. Matt DiBenedetto
15. Hailie Deegan
16. Colby Howard
17. Dylan Westbrook
18. Lawless Alan
19. Timmy Hill
20. Chase Purdy
21. Jack Wood
22. Tanner Gray
23. Dean Thompson
24. Joey Gase
25. Blaine Perkins
26. Kaz Grala
27. Brayton Laster
28. Kris Wright
29. Spencer Boyd
30. Devon Rouse
31. Thad Moffitt
32. Brett Moffitt
33. Bryson Mitchell
34. Jessica Friesen
35. Carson Hocevar
36. Tyler Carpenter
