Fast Facts: David Gilliland

credit: LJ Cloud/Skirts & Scuffs
David Gilliland, driver of the No. 38 Ford Fusion for Front Row Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series, had a career-best second-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2013, pushing his teammate David Ragan to a surprising win. Learn more about this second-generation driver in this week’s Fast Facts.


  • Gilliland was born April 1, 1976 in Riverside, California, the son of 1997 Winston West (now K&N Pro Series West) champion Butch Gilliland. Gilliland got his professional start in racing as his father’s crew chief on his West Coast-based team in 1996, eventually moving into the driver’s seat in 1998. In 1999, he won the championship at Perris Auto Speedway, a dirt track in California.
  • In 2000, Gilliland moved to NASCAR’s western series, and in 2004 was named NASCAR West (now K&N West) Series Rookie of the Year. He made his top-tier NASCAR debut in 2005, competing in both Busch (now Nationwide) Series races at Phoenix International Raceway and the Craftsman (now Camping World) Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He earned his only Busch Series win at Kentucky Speedway in June 2006.
  • In 2006, Gilliland also made his Cup Series debut at Sonoma Raceway for CJM Racing, then replaced Elliott Sadler in the No. 38 M&Ms Ford later that season. In his Cup Series career, Gilliland has driven for Yates Racing, TRG Motorsports, Wood Brothers Racing, Robby Gordon Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Phoenix Racing.
  • Gilliland signed with Front Row Motorsports in 2010. In 2011, he finished third in the Daytona 500, FRM’s best finish and Gilliland’s career-best finish at the time. He improved on that finish at Talladega this year, and helped FRM get its first 1-2 finish in the series.
  • Gilliland and his wife Michelle gave two children, Todd and Taylor.
  • Learn more about Gilliland at his website, www.davidgilliland.com.  

Fast Facts: David Gilliland Fast Facts: David Gilliland Reviewed by Paula on Tuesday, May 28, 2013 Rating: 5