NASCAR Cup

Bristol: David Gilliland race report

TRG Motorsports Heads to Martinsville 35th in Owner Points; Gilliland Finishes Capital Window/TRG Motorsports Chevy in Tough 36th at Bristol Bristol, Tennessee, (March 22, 2009) - David Gilliland soldiered through a tough day at Bristol Motor ...

Published: Jun 19, 2009, 7:48 PM

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TRG Motorsports Heads to Martinsville 35th in Owner Points; Gilliland Finishes Capital Window/TRG Motorsports Chevy in Tough 36th at Bristol

Bristol, Tennessee, (March 22, 2009) - David Gilliland soldiered through a tough day at Bristol Motor Speedway to finish the No. 71 Capital Window/TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Impala SS in 36th position in today's running of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Food City 500. The team leaves Bristol 35th in owner points assuring that they are locked into next weekend's race at Martinsville.

Starting from his 14th qualifying position, Gilliland quickly moved up into the top ten. On the teams third pit-stop the crew had trouble with the right front wheel costing them 10 positions on the short .533-mile track. Soon after Gilliland was caught by the leader and sent down a lap. Gilliland then began to fight with the cars handling as the race progressed. Two flat tires under green flag running cost the team additional laps, only to be compounded by caution flags flying just after they pitted.

"The race started out for us really good," Gilliland said. "I was able to run up in the top 10 at the beginning and had a lot of confidence in the car. On the first pit stop we had a problem with the lug nuts on the right front and that put us back ten places when we were running in the top 20 and then we went down a lap. We could never really recover. The car started to get tighter and tighter as the day went on. The car was really too good early. Then it started to get tight rolling through the center across the corner and then it continued to get worse. We will have to take a good hard look at the car when we get it back to the shop and see where we fell out of adjustment."

The tough day continued with flat tires.

"We had two flat tires under green and pitted and then a caution came out right after both of them and that lost us like five laps. It just wasn't our day today. The TRG Motorsports guys will go back dig deep and come back strong next week at Martinsville."

TRG Motorsports team principal, Kevin Buckler, is happy to be leaving 35th in owner points.

"It was pretty exciting to be running as competitively as we were early in the race," Buckler said. "From the qualifying session clear up to the first 60 laps we were really running well. We had a couple of issues which started on lap 125 with the pit-stop. We then started to drop like a rock as the cars handling went away. Then you just have to cruise around and finish in the top 35 in owner points which has been our original goal and we got it. You have to persevere through the tough weekends. It is just as important to do that as it is to celebrate the good weekends. This team has a lot of character. We will be ready for next weekend."

Round six of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be the Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29.

-credit: trg

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