| Welcome to David Gilliland's Message Board. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Top-30 drivers: David Gilliland; SCENEDAILY - | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Dec 7 2007, 09:54 PM (436 Views) | |
| Guest | Dec 7 2007, 09:54 PM Post #1 |
|
Unregistered
|
Top-30 drivers: David Gilliland SCENEDAILY - 10:05AM ET FRIDAY DECEMBER 7, 2007 - BY SCENEDAILY STAFF REPORT Print This Article RSS Feed TODD WARSHAW / GETTY IMAGESDavid Gilliland may not have been an official rookie contender this season, but he ran his first full NASCAR Nextel Cup schedule and maintained a spot in the top 35 in owners points for his No. 38 Robert Yates Racing Ford. Things weren't always easy for the driver or the organization, however, as the team attempted to rebuild and switched business partners more than once. Gilliland, a 31-year-old California native, gained headlines in 2006 when he won a Busch Series race with an independent team. He also caught team owner Robert Yates' eye, leading to Gilliland moving into the Cup car late last year. He competed in his first full season this year, earning more than $4.3 million in purses. During the offseason, SceneDaily is taking a look at the top 30 in 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup driver points, and here's how Gilliland's season unfolded: By the numbers: Gilliland earned the first top-five finish of his career, a fourth-place run at Talladega Superspeedway, as well as a pair of top-10 finishes. Season highlights: Gilliland started the season on a high note, winning the pole for the season-opening Daytona 500 and holding on to finish eighth in that race. Restrictor-plate events, long a strength for RYR, proved to be highlights of his season as he also finished fourth at Talladega in the spring and 11th at Daytona in July. Key setbacks: Gilliland endured five DNFs, three because of accidents. Newsworthy moment: Gilliland grabbed the headlines first with his Daytona 500 debut. His team would then be a hot topic as team owner Robert Yates took on a business partnership with a Champ Car team, decided he didn't want a partner after all and then sold his team to his son, Doug. The group will compete as Yates Racing in 2008 with a strong alliance with fellow Ford operation Roush Fenway Racing. Gilliland and team also parted ways with sponsor M&M's and have not announced backing for 2008. His teammate, Ricky Rudd, retired at the end of the season, and Gilliland will be partnered with Travis Kvapil next season. In his words: "They've given me great race cars all year long, so I'm real, real thankful for that. I'm going to miss the M&M's guys and Robert and Ricky, so it's kind of a weird day [at Homestead], but, overall, it was all right. I learned a lot, and now we'll get ready for next year." |
 
|
|
| « Previous Topic · Messages to David · Next Topic » |
9:16 AM Nov 23
