(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)
By Aaron Bearden

Todd Gilliland was only two races into his first season with Front Row Motorsports (FRM) when real-life racing came to a halt as a result of COVID-19. 

Now, what was already a lengthy break for the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series has turned into an indefinite hiatus – one that started just when the sport was slated to get back underway. 

“It’s crazy how you build everything up for those first two races,” Gilliland told Motorsports Beat. “They’re back-to-back and then we take a break while everyone else is still racing a few more weeks. 

“Right when we were supposed to go back, we’re at the race track at Atlanta (Motor Speedway) about to walk in the garage, and then they tell us to go home.”

Gilliland was set for a fresh start heading into the 2020 season, making a leap to FRM in partnership with DGR-Crosley after an arduous tenure with Kyle Busch Motorsports. He’d won a race at Martinsville Speedway during his last season with the Toyota organization, but both sides felt that they needed to move on after KBM struggled to be consistently competitive with both Gilliland and teammate Harrison Burton. 

KBM switched to a new lineup with Christian Eckes and Raphael Lessard. Burton made a step up to the Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing. 

No one publicly knew where Gilliland was going until January, but from the moment the 2019 season ended his 2020 plans were underway. In need of a new opportunity, he returned home – running for a team his father David Gilliland made 214 NASCAR Cup Series starts with during the 2010s. 

“We were preparing just as soon as the checkered flag fell at Homestead (Miami Speedway),” Gilliland said. “Even before that, we were working on gathering people. We were talking about who we needed to get and how we could get them. 

“Once we all finally got it together – and it was pretty late actually – before Daytona (International Speedway), we felt like we were ready. There was all the excitement, you know. We built this great team. I feel like we have a lot of great trucks.” 

The group took little time to show pace. Gilliland ran inside of the top-10 for a good portion of the opening race at Daytona before getting swept up in the race’s traditional wrecks. The next week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway he quietly scored the team’s first top-10, bringing home a seventh-place finish. 

That left the North Carolinian ninth in the standings heading into the Truck Series’ traditional early break, positioned to become a points contender when the bulk of the season got underway.

Then the unthinkable happened. COVID-19’s spread forced NASCAR, like all other sports, to halt competition in the middle of March. The sanctioning body tried to sneak one last race weekend in without fans but was forced to pull the plug just as Truck teams were arriving in Atlanta. 

Real-life motorsport has been stalled ever since, though that hasn’t kept racers from competing. Popular racing software like iRacing and rFactor 2 have been the new temporary home for motorsport’s top stars, with various esports tours and special events filled with competitors from all styles of racing.

Gilliland has joined the sim racing movement, albeit more casually than some. He’s competed in NASCAR’s secondary Saturday Night Thunder events, as well as The Replacements tour spearheaded by spotter TJ Majors and others in the industry. 

“I’ve just been trying to have a lot of fun with it,” Gilliland said. “You see a lot of people that take it really seriously and then some people that just trying to fun and obviously stay relevant during this time.

“Once we get out there, I feel like all the drivers are super competitive. So we’re always trying to go for a win once we’re out there. But I’m just trying to have fun with it, stay busy. If anything, just work on a few little skills here and there.” 

While some competitors like William Byron and Ty Majeski have years of experience on iRacing, many like Gilliland have found themselves adapting to the simulation software. 

The young Ford prospect has picked up a few tips along the way – completing “huge burnouts off pit road” during qualifying, focusing on being smooth and patient with tires during long runs – but he’s still working to improve, contend and get his sponsors more coverage. 

“It’s a great opportunity to get to your sponsors out to different audiences,” he said. “I think people are right now looking for something to watch. Obviously everyone’s bored at home, especially with no sports. NASCAR’s done the best job about having its current drivers and people in the industry still being able to entertain fans. So I think that’s the best part about it.” 

Maintaining exposure for sponsors has been a key challenge of the current period. They sign on with teams and drivers expecting exposure and engagement year-round, and particularly from February to November. 

With sports at a standstill, drivers and teams have been forced to get creative to appease their supporters. Ryan Preece was seen doing meet-and-greets on Zoom prior to last Sunday’s eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series event, and many have offered up their virtual liveries for cheap or even free to their current sponsors to try to add value. 

Gilliland has been one of many to take to social media to show support, sharing updates from Ford as the manufacturer assists the battle against COVID-19 while also searching for unique content to provide. 

He’s done everything possible to add value to his sponsors digitally, but Gilliland is the first to admit that he’d rather be showcasing the brands at the race track. “I wish that we could represent them on the racetrack again,” he said. “Hopefully we can get back to doing that soon.” 

That’s been a goal of NASCAR’s as well. A rumored May return has been the subject of conversation this week, with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper confirming that teams can work in their shops under the state’s current guidelines. 

But the majority of focus around NASCAR’s return has been dedicated to the Cup Series. The Xfinity and Truck tours haven’t been discussed nearly as much in the public sphere, though they could conceivably factor into the Cup schedule much like they did prior to the stoppage. 

The remainder of NASCAR’s 2020 season remains unknown and fluid at this time, particularly for the minor tours. That makes preparing for the future an immense challenge. 

“You don’t actually know what’s going to happen,” Gilliland said. “That’s the really tough part. You don’t know when you’re coming back. 

“Everyone wants to keep working, but they can’t see what’s coming. You don’t know what team’s going to be far enough ahead. You have to have enough trucks together to get through the schedule.

“If we go back and race all the Cup races, all 36 races, that’s going to be so busy. So you’re gonna have to be really prepared.” 

That means a big portion of this season’s remaining challenge will likely fall upon Gilliland’s FRM team, who could be forced with a heavy workload in their first Truck season. 

Gilliland’s stayed in contact with the group during this hiatus, claiming that they text daily. One of his engineers also served as a spotter for him in Tuesday’s Replacements race at Talladega Superspeedway. 

It’s a group Gilliland’s been with from the start. He saw the team come together, and he has no doubt that they can make a difference when racing resumes. 

“Everyone is a real racer on my team this year and I think that definitely shows,” he said. “If they have to stay at the shop a couple of hours later, they’re going to be there to be that extra 10th better when we get to the racetrack.

“That’s the part that I really love to see. And I feel like that’s what my team’s got this year.” 

Now Gilliland’s just waiting for the opportunity to show it. 

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Aaron Bearden Featured Front Row Motorsports Todd Gilliland