David Gilliland prepared for Charlotte 500

Gilliland Looks to Run Tastykake Ford to the Front
No. 34 Team Welcomes New Partner at Charlotte

David Gilliland

Photo by: Action Sports Photography

Statesville, N.C. (October 10, 2011) - David Gilliland has a lot cooking as he heads into the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Not only is he going to a track where he traditionally runs well, but he will also have a new paint scheme to introduce to NASCAR fans. Tastykake will be the primary sponsor on Gilliland's No. 34 Ford Fusion this weekend.

With roots in Philadelphia, Tastykake dates back to 1914, but its unique cakes and fresh taste are still a hit today. The company offers Kandy Kakes, Krimpets, cupcakes, and pies, and recently has been expanding its tasty treats into new markets in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest.

"Tastykake is now available to more people than ever before - and as it says on the No. 34 Ford, 'one taste and you'll get it,'" said Tastykake spokesperson Brent Bradshaw. "It'll be a thrill to see this iconic brand make its turns around the track with Gilliland at the wheel. Everyone attending the race should watch for the Tastykake truck that will be giving out free samples outside of the speedway."

Gilliland is happy with the program his team has brought to Charlotte over the last year. The team has been able to unload a strong car from the beginning of the weekend at the quad-oval track and anticipates the same situation for Saturday night's Bank of America 500.

Gilliland earned a seventh-place finish at the track in May during the NASCAR Sprint Showdown and was on his way to another strong finish in the Coca-Cola 600 before being crashed out of the race. The team will use the notes from the previous two races to build an even better package for this weekend's race.

He is looking to improve his career-best finish of 25th (2007, 2008, 2009) at the mile-and-a-half track. This will be his 11th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at Charlotte.

Comments from David Gilliland, driver of the No. 34 Tastykake Ford, going to Charlotte:

"Charlotte is a track that does have banking, which I like, so it's a track I really enjoy racing on. We seem to have some good success there. We're excited about going back there for sure. Last time our day was ended early. We got caught up in an accident and it was a pretty hard hit, actually. Our car was junk and we had to throw that one way. Hopefully we can get out of there without throwing a car away and with a good finish. I think we can. Like I said, we ran well there throughout the day and had good speed. I look forward to going back there and hopefully we can turn our luck around.

"It's great to have Tastykake on the car for Charlotte. I'm excited to see the new colors. I saw a rendering of it and the car looks really good. It's always good to have new partners for our race team, and with Bob's (team owner Bob Jenkins) affiliation with his restaurants and other business partners, it's really good for us. We're excited about that and hopefully it can turn into more because we're always looking for new partners for our race team.

"Another exciting thing about this weekend is, of course, that it's a home game. It's always great to race at home. The guys who work all week in the shop but traditionally don't travel with the team get to come out to the track and bring their families and say, 'See, here's what I work on and what I help put together.' It's fun for them. Michelle and I are from California, but North Carolina is our adopted home, so we've got lots of friends and family that come out, too. The whole weekend is just really fun and festive."