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David Gilliland relying on pit crew at Dover II

Front Row Motorsports press release

Gilliland Gives Props to the 'Pack'
Even with Big 'To-Do' List, Pit Crew Is on the Money

David Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports Ford
David Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports Ford

Photo by: Ted Rossino

Statesville, N.C. (September 27, 2011) - If you hear David Gilliland praising the performance of the "Wolfpack," he's not talking about the North Carolina State football team. The Wolfpack is the nickname of Gilliland's pit crew, and they've quietly put together a solid season on pit road for the No. 34 team, no matter how long their "to-do" list is for a pit stop.

As the team returns to Dover (Del.) International Speedway this weekend for the AAA 400, the Wolfpack will look to repeat their performance from the May race at the "Monster Mile." The track conditions changed throughout the race, but the team was up to the task, making multiple, but fast, adjustments in the pits to keep Gilliland running in the top-25 all day. The No. 34 Ford Fusion finished 22nd, a team history-best at Dover.

Sunday's race will be Gilliland's 11th Sprint Cup start at Dover. His career-best finish is 16th (2008).

Comments from David Gilliland, driver of the No. 34 Ford Fusion, going into Dover:

"Part of the reason for our 22nd-place finish in May at Dover was we had good pit strategy and great pit stops. Our pit crew has been outstanding this year. With making adjustments and adapting to not having a catch-can guy anymore, I think they've done a great job and continue to do a great job on a weekly basis. It's nice to come down pit road and not even have a thought in your mind about having a bad pit stop. Of course, it can still happen at times, but I couldn't tell you when the last bad one was.

"And that's a testament to the guys. We might not be competing for the win every week, but we're still digging for spots out on the track and on pit road. They're super-competitive and they take pride in their work and it shows every time they jump off that wall.

"We had a top-25 run the last time in Dover, which was pretty good, and I think we can be even better this second time around. I think Dover is a track, similar to Bristol setup-wise, that we've run good at and we've learned some important things. We've had some stuff happen at both Dover and Bristol that have hurt us that will definitely not happen again.

"We feel like we've got a strong package going there and it's a place I really enjoy racing, too. It's a lot of fun. It's one of those tracks where, however fast you're going, it feels like you're going twice as fast. So, to me, that's the track where you feel like you're going the fastest, so I really like going there."

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