Gilliland Charges Back after Flat for Top-10 Finish at New Smyrna
Todd Gilliland appeared headed for a repeat win in the season opening NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway on Sunday.
Gilliland had the Bill McAnally Racing No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry out front with less than 50 laps to go when an apparent piece of debris cut his right front tire. Despite losing a lap and falling back to 23rd after a pit stop for another tire, Gilliland charged back through the field to finish ninth.
“Everyone on the NAPA team worked hard all day,” he said. “They gave me a really good car. We blew a right front while we were leading. From there, we were just trying to get as many positions as we could.”
Gilliland’s BMR teammate, Derek Kraus, notched a third-place finish in the No. 99 Carlyle Tools Toyota Camry at New Smyrna, in making his series debut.
| Start/Finish | 5/9 |
| Points earned | 36 |
| Points standing/points total | 9th/36 |
Next Race: Tucson (Arizona) Speedway, March 18
How to Watch: NBCSN (tape-delay)
Todd Gilliland: @ToddGilliland_
NAPA Racing: @NAPARacing
Bill McAnally Racing: @BMR_NASCAR
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Bill McAnally Racing (BMR) holds the ARCA Menards Series West record with 11 championships and eclipsed the 100-win mark in 2022. The team has piled on six titles in the last eight seasons with four different drivers since 2015. Second-year driver Tanner Reif takes control of the No. 16 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet for the 12-race campaign in 2023 and looks to improve on his runner-up finish in the 2022 drivers’ standings to build on BMR’s west coast legacy.