Todd Gilliland to make NASCAR Truck debut next month

The third-generation racer, who turned 17 on Monday, will make his truck series debut at Dover International Speedway on June 2.

The Pedigree brand will sponsor Gilliland's truck effort in 2017. 

Gilliland will also test a Kyle Busch Motorsports truck next Tuesday and Wednesday at Gateway Motorsports Park in preparation for his first race on the 1.25-mile track on June 17.

“We’re just trying to learn and finish the race,” Gilliland said. “That’s really our first goal. We can’t do anything dumb. I just have to try to learn as much as we can in these longer races.”

Although he has never visited the Metro-St. Louis based track, with the help of the Toyota Racing Development simulator, Gilliland feels he’s ready for the challenge.

“(Turns) one and two are really tight, three and four are long and sweeping,” Gilliland said on Wednesday. “You’re on the gas a long time. It’s going to be hard to balance that. They said there’s a possibility we might be shifting in Turn 1 even. There’s a lot of different equations that go into those things but we’ll try just play it by ear and see what’s best.

“We’re going to be really well-prepared. I was actually at the shop earlier today getting fitted in that truck. Everyone at Kyle Busch Motorsports is working super hard with me. They want me to be as ready as possible. I think we’ve all done a decent job of that so, we’ll see how it goes after the test. We’re excited to get up there and try another track.”

Manion atop the pit box

When Gilliland returns to Gateway in a month, he’ll have veteran crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion calling the shots. Gilliland said he's excited to work with him. Manion guided a young Martin Truex Jr. to two Xfinity titles is currently overseeing the No. 51 truck program for KBM with young guns Gilliland, Harrison Burton and Myatt Snider. Manion was on the pit box last weekend when Kyle Busch won at Kansas Speedway and last fall for Daniel Suarez’s victory at Phoenix Raceway.

“I’ve followed him a little bit recently,” Manion said of Gilliland. “I went up to South Boston to watch him as a fan. He has a little bit different driving style than our other development drivers — Harrison Burton and Myatt Snider.

“He’s someone we’ll have to slow down and rope in a little bit, but he has a ton of talent and ton of speed.”

Manion believes KBM’s development drivers couldn’t ask for a better mentor than Busch. And Gilliland will have the same exposure to the former Cup champion as Suarez and Erik Jones have in the past. Given Gilliland’s background, Manion feels the young racer will be fast out of the box at the Gateway test.

“I’m expecting to learn a lot about him and his driving styles,” Manion said. “He seems to be very aggressive — an on the gas kind of guy. I think he shows a ton of potential. Right now we have three different guys with different levels of potential, but if they pick up 10 percent of what Kyle teaches them every time — about how to draft, the handling of the car, they’re going to go a long way in the sport.

Gilliland, the defending K&N Pro Series West champion, has won four of the first five races of the season in that series and currently leads the standings by 20 points over Chris Eggleston. He’s also competed in the first five KNPSE events and scored three top fives and five top 10s. He trails Harrison Burton by 18 points.

KBM announced in December that Gilliland would driver a minimum of four races this season in trucks. On Friday, KBM will unveil a new sponsor for Gilliland which will support his upcoming efforts.

“We have a lot of exciting stuff on the horizon,” Gilliland said. “It’s something that we’ve worked hard for and now it’s all starting to fall into place. I’m excited about the future.”