Gilliland, a full-time competitor within the Cup Sequence for Entrance Row Motorsports, determined to go trophy-hunting on the Knoxville dust this weekend. The choice paid off with the younger racer taking victory for the third time in his Truck Sequence profession.
“The Cup Sequence is hard, simply racing each single week,” mentioned Gilliland. “I’ve had like one million folks ask me if that is actually what you need to do in your off weekend and completely. Nothing beats racing. I have been telling everybody that I am younger and I want I may do that each single weekend of the 12 months. Simply so joyful for my complete group.
It was fairly the Father’s Day present for Todd’s father David Gilliland, who performed the position of group proprietor within the Knoxville victory.
“I am tremendous proud,” he mentioned post-race. “I instructed him when the race began — I mentioned, ‘Bud, all I need for Father’s Day is that trophy.’ And now we’ll be taking it dwelling on the airplane with us.”
Gilliland took the lead from John-Hunter Nemechek with ten laps to go after which held on via a late-race restart to assert victory. He led 58 of 150 laps.
Zane Smith, Ty Majeski, Stewart Friesen, Derek Kraus, Matt Crafton, Grant Enfinger, Tyler Ankrum, and Ben Rhodes rounded out the top-ten.
Stage 1
Kraus began the race from pole place, nevertheless it was Carson Hocevar who rapidly took management of the race. Regardless of nostril harm sustained in an earlier warmth race, he was in a position to maintain again all challengers.
It didn’t take lengthy for the primary incident with Dean Thomspon spinning off the nostril of Christian Eckes on Lap 4.
Later, Ben Rhodes would problem Hocevar briefly earlier than falling again. As he light, it grew to become clear that one thing was improper as his truck started to spit water and overheat.
An incident involving Tanner Grey and Spencer Boyd provided a chance for Rhodes to repair the problem below warning. He fell a lap down, however remained within the race.
It was a one-lap shootout to finish the stage, nevertheless it was one lap too many for Friesen. A proper rear tire failure despatched him up the monitor and to the again of the pack in an enormous blow to his probabilities at a dust win.
Hocevar took the stage win forward of Gilliland, Nemechek, Kraus, Majeski, Enfinger, C. Smith, Brett Moffitt, Matt DiBenedetto, and Z. Smith
Stage 2
Hocevar led Kraus and Gilliland at the beginning of the second stage, which might fall again below yellow as a result of a weird incident. Jessica Friesen clipped the within berm and truly rolled her truck and bought caught after touchdown again on her wheels.
On the following restart, Gilliland took the lead from a dominant Hocevar, who all of the sudden slowed with a difficulty. An engine failure ended his evening and what was trying to be an actual shot at his first Truck Sequence victory. His teammate Tyler Carpenter suffered an engine failure proper across the identical time.
Gilliland would go on to win the stage forward of Z. Smith, Nemechek, Moffit, Kraus, Enfinger, Kaz Grala, S. Friesen, Matt Crafton, and Ankrum.
Stage 3
There have been some gamblers in the course of the last stage break, staying out on previous tires in hopes of gaining monitor place.
Moffitt now led the best way, however his keep on the entrance could be short-lived. NASCAR penalized him for leaping the restart and he was compelled to come back down pit street.
Enfinger then took over management of the race. He was additionally on older tires, and couldn’t hold on for lengthy as a charging Gilliland reclaimed the race lead with 49 laps to go.
After a warning for a truck that was off the tempo, Nemechek was in a position to leap into the lead of the race. Todd Gilliland was in a position to combat again and took the lead once more with simply ten laps in the past.
Jack Wooden then spun in what was to be the ninth and last warning of the race, organising a four-lap sprint to the checkered flag.
Gilliland held robust on the restart and captured the checkered flag in his first begin of the 2022 NASCAR Truck Sequence season.