NASCAR Cup

Phoenix II: David Gilliland preview

Phoenix a 'Home' Race for Gilliland Driver Comments on On-Track Confrontations Statesville, N.C. (November 9, 2010) - David Gilliland has not visited Victory Lane at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway in his Sprint Cup Series career, but he ...

Published: Nov 10, 2010, 9:48 PM

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Phoenix a 'Home' Race for Gilliland
Driver Comments on On-Track Confrontations

Statesville, N.C. (November 9, 2010) - David Gilliland has not visited Victory Lane at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway in his Sprint Cup Series career, but he knows how to get there. The driver of the No. 37 Taco Bell Ford grew up on the West Coast and has a history of success at the one-mile oval in the Arizona desert.

Gilliland was a regular at the track in his K&N Pro Series West days, winning a race he started from the pole and earning two top-5 finishes. Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 will be his ninth Sprint Cup start at Phoenix, where he'll work to top his career-best finish of 16th.

Comments from Taco Bell Driver David Gilliland on Phoenix International Raceway and On-Track Confrontations:

"Phoenix is a really good racetrack for me. I've won some races in other divisions there and had a lot of fun. But our spring race there this year wasn't much fun. So we're basically going to do the exact opposite of the approach we took in the spring and feel pretty good about our chances. We ran half-way decent in Loudon in September, and we feel like we learned stuff there that we can take to Phoenix and hopefully we'll be better.

"I'm from California, so Phoenix is like another 'home' race for me. I used to go there with my dad when I was kid. And then when I started racing there myself, it was always a big deal. It was the biggest race on the West Coast. So obviously it's a place where we want to run really well. And, especially because we didn't run so hot in the spring race, we want to make sure we put on a good show this time around. We'll have friends and family there so it's going to be fun and hopefully we'll give them something good to cheer for.

"Last week's run at Texas was pretty good. Our Taco Bell Ford Fusion got better and better as the day went on, until the track cooled down and then we lost some ground. But we gained a few points on the 35th spot in owner points, which we all know is Front Row Motorsports' number-one goal right now. And we learned a lot, which will help us next year.

"The '38' team still has a tough climb to get into the top 35 before the season is over. We only have two more races to go, so we need two really big performances from that team - and maybe a little help from the teams we're trying to catch. We need them to have some 'off' races. But it's doable. It's not going to be easy, but I can promise you this Front Row Motorsports team is going to put everything they have into trying.

"Yeah, I think we are seeing more on-track confrontations between drivers this year with NASCAR saying 'have at it.' I feel like that's how it should be. When guys have had problems this year with someone, it seems they've snipped it right away in that race and then it's over. I think that's better than letting it fester and turn in to a much bigger deal than it needs to be. I think NASCAR's done a good job at that. We're all big boys and hopefully we can police ourselves as need be."

-source: front row motorsports

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