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David Gilliland’s Busch win at Kentucky June 17, 2006
(DAVID versus Goliaths)
By Gregg Leary
Category:NASCAR -> Nationwide
First win by a Non-Nextel Cup regular in 18 races (Dating to October 2005)
It was David’s first Busch win in only his 7th start. It was also owner Clay Andrews and Crew Chief Billy Wilburn’s (who worked in Cup with Rusty Wallace and Dale Jarrett) first Busch win.
Wilburn said, “David’s the best kept secret in NASCAR. We’re a start up team, but we have people who know how to race.”
Wilburn said, “It’d be like me taking my clubs to the US Open and winning.” The golf analogy is appropo since Gilliland had played on the high school golf team with Tiger Woods. (Gilliland’s Busch win came the same weekend that Tiger missed the cut in a major golf event.)
Three weeks before the win, David was too slow to qualify for the Busch race at Lowe’s. “That’s the worst I’ve felt in my life.” He retreated to his home office, looked at his 70 trophies and said, “You know you can do it.”
“It’s a big deal for an unsponsored team building our own motors to beat those guys.”
In the race, David qualified 4th. At the start he had to avoid Carl Edwards who slowed in front of him. Kevin Harvick crashed on Lap 2. Jeff Fuller crashed hard and the race was red flagged. On Lap 48, David passed Paul Menard for 2nd. On Lap 52 David had a 21 second pit stop (He just met his pit crew race weekend)…and went from 2nd to 19th. It took him until 10 Laps to Go to[pass JJ Yeley for the lead…which he never relinquished.
(He failed to qualify twice this year and his best previous finish was 29th.)
“People have asked me all season how I feel about racing against Cup guys…I want to be where they are some day and racing against them now will only prepare me for the Cup series.”
Carl Edwards said, “I was cheering for him so hard. A guy shows up with no sponsor and a bunch of cool veterans and won the seventh time out. I thought that was the story of the year.”
Gilliland’s team started the season with four employees and no sponsor. Jerry Nadeau is the driver coach.
(Gilliland’s Cup start at Sonoma had been planned for a month and a half..was NOT a result of his Busch win.)
David says Jerry Nadeau, “has been there and done that. He gives me little pointers about tracks I’ve never been to.”
Dad always told me, “You can get anything you want with hard work.”
“Our team didn’t win because we spent the most money and didn’t win because we had the most horsepower…we didn’t win because of our pit stops. We won because everybody on our team is 150 percent dedicated to what they do and our race team. It’s good for NASCAR to show that hard work and a little guy can still come through and get it done.”