Todd Gilliland continues hot streak with best finish of 2024 at Indy

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Todd Gilliland survived a wreck-filled end to Sunday’s Brickyard 400 to secure his best finish of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season so far.

Gilliland finished sixth. The day didn’t start like that, though.

Gilliland qualified 24th and finishing the first stage (lap 50 of 160) in 29th. The No. 38 team had their work cut out for them but teammate Michael McDowell showed speed, finishing sixth in the first stage.

While most of the field pitted during a caution on lap 70, Gilliland stayed out and restarted third on lap 74. He stayed out when another caution quickly fell but then pitted before the end of stage, which came at lap 100.

Unfortunately, Gilliland fell a lap down and placed 33rd in the stage. He did receive the free pass and was back on the lead lap for the final stage.

Cautions quickly fell for two wrecks that knocked six drivers out of whack. During the second caution, on lap 111, Gilliland joined Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin and others on pit road one last time. They all took on the challenge of stretching their fuel 50 laps when the window was around 40 laps.

Gilliland restarted 19th on lap 115. As contenders like Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick and Chase Elliott anticipated a long run to the checkers, and didn’t believe everyone else could make it to the end, Gilliland stayed out and worked his way up to ninth when Martin Truex Jr. wrecked in turn three and drew a caution on lap 126.

Two more drivers pitted under caution, putting Gilliland in seventh for an economy run to the checkers. With two laps to go, Gilliland only lost positions to Larson and Reddick, who were good to go on fuel and charged through everyone, and Kyle Busch, who leaned on Larson to pick off Gilliland and Christopher Bell, who was also on an economy run.

Busch’s torrent pace caught up with him as he wrecked with two laps to go and threw the race into overtime.

Ahead of Zane Smith and Denny Hamlin pitted and Brad Keselowski pulled to pit road before the first overtime attempt. Todd Gilliland was sixth at this point, which is where he finished when it was all said and done.

Gilliland’s sixth-place finish was his second Top-10 finish in the last three races. He also finished seventh in Chicago. Indy was arguably more impressive as he had never raced on the oval before Sunday.

Looking at his overall performance in 2024, the 24-year-old is on the rise. Gilliland finished outside of the Top-20 in six of the first seven races. In the 15 races since then, he has only finished outside of the Top-20 just three times – and only once in the last 11 races.

Gilliland had an average finish of 25th in the first seven races. In the last 15 races, he has an average finish of 16.2.

NASCAR will take a two-week Olympic break and return August 11th at Richmond Raceway. Todd Gilliland’s best finish at Richmond is 15th in spring of 2023. This spring, Gilliland finished 21st.