MADERA, California -- When the dust settled at the AutoZone 125 NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series event at Madera Speedway on Saturday night March 13, David Gilliland found himself finishing in the runner-up spot. His best career run at the 1/3-mile California track.
Gilliland started off the day uncharacteristically qualifying the Honda Cars of Corona/The Body Shop Pontiac in 15th position.
“Our car was never fast on the short runs, and it showed in qualifying. But we knew we had a very solid handling car for the race,” stated Gilliland. “I knew as long as we could stay smart out there and avoid the trouble we would be walking out of here with a solid run.”
Through a barrage of skillful moves, Gilliland made up more positions than any other driver during the race to win the Powerade Power Move of the Race Award. The finish also propelled him from 27th in the points to 9th in the driver standings. A mere 93 points out of the first spot.
“The points at the beginning of the year are always a little shaky. You have got guys up there that shouldn't be, and guys not in the top-15 that are always contenders for the championship. You really can't judge by that,” explained Gilliland. “With that said, this year the Southwest Series has a strong contingent of competitors, it will be a tough season with a close points battle. The championship may come down to just a few points, you have start eying that championship early on. And I feel we are in a good spot to make a run for it.”
The next event on the schedule will be the Star Nursery 150 at the 1/2-mile Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, California on March 28th. Gilliland is hoping to use this second place finish as a springboard for that race.
“This is a building block on the season. We have had great successes at that track and I am really looking forward to that event. The fans at Mesa are among the best. They really are into racing, that coupled with the momentum we will carry from this event will be huge for us. This second will really motivate the guys.”
