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TRG Motorsports' David Gilliland beating odds with upstart Sprint Cup team
By Rea White - Associate Editor
Sunday, March 15, 2009
TRG Motorsports' David Gilliland has been one of the surprises of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season.
LaDon George
NASCAR Scene
When the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup season dawned, a slate of new teams were trying to make races and break into the series. After four races, TRG Motorsports and David Gilliland have risen above the crowd and become the little team that can.
To some, this has come as a surprise. To TRG, it's just a step in its long-term building plan.
After missing the field for the season-opening Daytona 500, TRG owner Kevin Buckler met with Gilliland at Daytona. They met the Saturday afternoon before the race - both were at the track but not competing at that point. Less than 48 hours later, Gilliland was at the shop as they put his seat in the car that was heading to Auto Club Speedway in California.
"It all happened kind of fast," Gilliland said of the partnership.
He had just parted company with Yates Racing, the team he finished 27th in driver points with in 2008. That group had added Paul Menard and formed a partnership with Hall of Fame Racing in the offseason. That left it looking for sponsorship for Gilliland and, when that couldn't be found, with the two parting company.
And to the meeting with Gilliland and Buckler.
"They missed Daytona and they weren't sure exactly what they were going to do," Gilliland said of the TRG Motorsports team. "It just all came together at the last minute. We only had two days to get ready to go to California because the truck had to leave
so early."
The pairing came together so fast that Gilliland didn't even have time to get his seat from one shop to the other.
"The seat that's in the car we've been racing the last three races is off my simulator at the shop; it's off my computer game," he said
of his race-ready seat. "That's how fast the deal came up. I didn't even have my seat from Yates yet; I had to go to my shop, unbolt my seat from my simulator and put it in the car.”
Since then, things have gone well. Gilliland qualified for the last three races and has performed well enough to put the team 34th in the owners standings with one race remaining before the points shift to 2009 standings week to week.
And he's done so in a much more conservative fashion than most of the teams have used. He's raced the same car in all three races, only getting his short-track car into the shop this week. It is, however, a car from Richard Childress Racing and with an Earnhardt Childress Racing Technologies engine.
RCR Vice President of Competition Mike Dillon has been in the teams pits "a bunch," Gilliland says, and "every race, basically, throughout practice checking up on us and watching what we're doing."
Gilliland has tried to be protective of his equipment while also going all-out enough to get the car in the show during qualifying each week.
So far, it's worked. With finishes of 33rd, 14th and 24th in those three races – all of which he made on qualifying speed - the team is one spot above the cutoff for a guaranteed starting position after the season’s fifth race.
It's not only what they've done that has been so impressive, though - how they've done it is also notable.
"We only had one downforce car, so if we wrecked it at Vegas it would probably be nearly impossible to get it turned around to come back to Atlanta," Gilliland said. "It's just been a week-to-week deal. Everybody's putting in all they can and trying as hard as they can and working as hard as they can. That's just kind of the way we've been looking at it now.
"… We've had some fortunate instances and other people we've been racing have had some misfortune and it's kind of put us in a good situation. We're right at 30 points inside the top 35 right now. … I'm very pleased with what we've been able to do in three races and hopefully we can keep performing and try to get a sponsor and keep going."
The team seems comfortable together and intent on growing. Buckler, who has enjoyed success in 15 years of competition in sports-car racing, notably with three wins in 13 outings in the 24-hour race at Daytona, didn't enter this venture lightly. Moving into the Cup series this season was a thought-out proposition.
He is cautiously expanding his plans for the season, though, as the team improves.
He said that TRG started looking at NASCAR about 18 months ago and decided to attempt to compete in the sport. The group bought a building in Mooresville, N.C., and started in the Truck series. Since 2008 the organization has 48 starts in the Truck series, with one win - Donny Lia's victory at Mansfield Motorsports Park last season.
"This year, our idea was to start at Daytona and see the first five races and then reassess our options," Buckler said. "We had a bad thing happen by missing Daytona, then a good thing happen by the last three races. ... We really put our head down, we focused every bit of our energy and resources on the competition side and it's been a dream come true. Here we are cracked into the top 35 with Bristol coming up."
He's trying to focus on his business model for the sport, to try to run a team as efficiently as possible while focusing on the competitive aspect of the sport.
"My goal is to try to run the whole season and my other goal, I'd say, is I want to be the new, sort of super-efficient model for NASCAR for Sprint Cup," he said. "Small team, very efficient, business driven, strong on the competition side, but again I'd use the word efficient. I just want to be very much kind of driving that model forward. With the economy out there, it's tough to raise the big money nowadays, especially for a small team like ours, so we'll go about it a different way."
They try to keep their expenses down and focus on competition. They don't want to spread the team too thin, since TRG doesn't have too many cars, parts and pieces.
In Buckler's words, they are trying to "take a hard work ethic approach and a very humble approach, but to come here and try to be extremely competitive and try to move ourselves forward."
To that end, he assembled the group that includes Gilliland and crew chief Richard "Slugger" Labbe, who has years of experience with top teams in the garage.
It's a group hungry to succeed. And, so far, one that has done just that.
"I cannot tell you the number of hours that we put in," Buckler said. "I seriously doubt that there's many [teams] that the people and teams are putting in the way we're doing it - because we have to. We've got to make up for our shortcomings. … The three of us are really a good team together. It really works out well."
Mentioned Drivers: David Gilliland
2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings
Driver Standings after the Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6492 |
| 2 | Mark Martin | -108 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | -169 |
| 4 | Kurt Busch | -211 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | -285 |
| 6 | Juan Pablo Montoya | -289 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | -321 |
| 8 | Denny Hamlin | -352 |
| 9 | Ryan Newman | -411 |
| 10 | Kasey Kahne | -476 |
| 11 | Carl Edwards | -520 |
| 12 | Brian Vickers | -666 |
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17 responses to "TRG Motorsports' David Gilliland beating odds with upstart Sprint Cup team". Post a Comment.
ed gordon said:
Mar 15, 2009 at 11:20 AMThe preseason feelgood stories about the new startup teams will only feelgood if some of them actually make it in the series,and this one appears to have the best chance.They are on the verge of being locked into the top 35, and Gilliland and team #71 did it in 3 races?
Report as AbuseSlugger Labbe and Gilliland seem to work well together.
Good luck and go get'm fellers!!!!!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportMS said:
Mar 15, 2009 at 11:32 AMFor fans of David Gilliland, we have watched his Cup career, trying to figure out what the heck was going on at Robert Yates Racing, and then at Yates Racing. Especially in the last year, we could not figure out how David could have cars that were so difficult to drive. Granted, they were underfunded, but it was still perplexing, as we kept hearing about the great partnership with Yates and Roush, but we were not seeing the results.
Report as AbuseIt is amazing that David is doing so well with even less than he had at Yates. It appears that Kevin Buckler has a much better relationship with Richard Childress Racing and with EGR, than the Yates-Roush affiliation. The cars they are buying from RCR seem to be of a better quality than they received from YR. Kevin appears to have a top notch operation outside of NASCAR, and appears to have a firm plan on how to move forward in the Cup series.
Kevin has the plan, and he has the driver who has learned how to drive under the tightest of conditions, monetarily. The chemistry between David and Slugger Labbe is obvious to anyone who listens on the scanner. It is a good partnership! I look forward to seeing this partnership last long into the future. I am hoping that sponsors are sitting up and taking notice.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportAbby Clark said:
Mar 15, 2009 at 11:41 AMHow great for TRG and David Gilliland! It looks like David got the better deal by leaving Yates before Travis Kvapil. Travis appears to be getting the raw deal now, while the points from his car went to Paul Menard, who appears to have lost all of the good from getting those points. At first, I thought that David was getting a worst deal over Travis, but now it looks like David got the better deal. David sounds like he is really liking this deal. Good for him, and good for the Bucklers. This is truely a case of a small group of David's battling the Giants of NASCAR!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJ L said:
Mar 15, 2009 at 12:59 PMI am truly impressed with the organizational skills of Kevin Buckler of TRG Motorsports. And his choice of David Gilliland and Slugger Labbe is proving to be a winning combination. Its more than a roll of the dice with Buckler, as I feel that he is one of those individuals who can sense a winning path. David Gilliland has shown extraordinary talent at times, but could Jimmy Johnson do any better with the junk that Yates puts on the track? I feel sure that if Gilliland is put in the right equipment, he can get it done. So-far, this is little more that a feel good story, but one that has the potential to go right to the top, and quickly. Best of luck to this new team. YOU CAN DO IT!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportCalorchard L said:
Mar 15, 2009 at 3:26 PMhttp://www.trgmotorsports.com/ Go and give TRG a visit. You will find a cutting edge company, and also check out the wine. Thanks for another great article.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportj from de said:
Mar 15, 2009 at 5:51 PMunbelievable success for this little Team after three races ... Buckler,"Slugger, Team71 and David must continue on Nascar ... a huge fan group behind Gilliland and TRG hope and pray for sponsors that this awesome story not ends after Bristol
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» Confirm Abuse ReportESS Lover said:
Mar 15, 2009 at 6:33 PMIt is a winning combination for TRG to get David Gilliland and Slugger Labbe. This hard-working team will prove to be a positive force in NASCAR racing. We hope to see them every single week on the track, and we'll be cheering them on.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportFred Dimmitt said:
Mar 15, 2009 at 8:57 PMI am impressed with the results so far. I am a David Gilliland fan and wish him and the TRG team well. If they can secure some sponsorship, I think they will impress some people this year.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportJohn Cowell said:
Mar 15, 2009 at 9:39 PMDavid is one of the hardest working guys in the garage. He is humble, and does not act like he is too good for his fans. He has spent time with many of his fans from the old days. He may be a bit shy, but he makes up for that with a will to succeed, and a drive for success. He is also pretty politically astute, as he remains friends with almost all of his former owners, team mates, and drivers from his pre-cup days. He worked hard for what he has accomplished, and has never had anything handed to him on a silver platter. He is a racer's racer.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportThomas Hines said:
Mar 16, 2009 at 1:39 AMI to have been a friend of Davids for many years back to his dirt racing days in southern California. he is one of those people you meet you just love and respect right off. he deserves to be with a team that has the same drive he does. I have all ways said to watch this guy--he will do great with the right equipment. he has a huge following already at davidgilliland.com come join a winning team headed to the top
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» Confirm Abuse ReportLinda Stoehr said:
Mar 16, 2009 at 10:19 AMWell, I am impressed with Kevin Buckler, and what he is determined to accomplish. He chose an excellent driver and crew chief. I'd like to see what he can do with some $$ behind this team. Gilliland has shown his talent, he just needs the right equipment. He just never had anything good at Yates.
Report as AbuseYes, this certainly is a feel-good story, and I'm looking forward to the happy ending!
Best of luck to the TRG team!
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» Confirm Abuse ReportScott Baker said:
Mar 16, 2009 at 4:27 PMPretty cool story, I hope they keep it up. I'll be in Bristol this weekend, would be great to see them get a top 10.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportManny said:
Mar 16, 2009 at 5:11 PMKevin Buckler’s TGR organization teamed up with David Gilliland, Richard Labbe and the other dedicated team members, have in fact been able to put together a wining combination. The impossible task at hand and the odds that are stacked against this effort have been obstacles that this team have been able to overcome under the premise of efficiency, team work, and determination. The dedication to excellence exhibited by the team has proven a great opportunity for any and all sponsorship that is looking for that kind of drive and can do attitude that has been this teams signature, and you just need to look back at the last three events for the proof of this. In closing this is a great ground floor opportunity for a sponsor that has aspirations to be partnered with a group that thus far has been able to generate a great deal of attention to all its efforts and this will be a good beginning and great partnership!
Report as AbuseManny T. E.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportDave H said:
Mar 17, 2009 at 10:33 AMTRG has done a great job putting David in a position to make races and finish them. They had a great run, at Vegas. And, they would've had a better run, at Atlanta, if it weren't for the crazy runaway tire fiasco. They are in a great position to be locked in, at Martinsville. But, if David would've been behing the wheel, at Daytona, the team wouldn't have to worry as much as they will this weekend.
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» Confirm Abuse ReportGilly Power said:
Mar 17, 2009 at 12:06 PMwe are a group of Gilliland fans from overseas and now from the fantastic TRG team als. TRG gave David a chance to show his talent and the success after only three runnings say everything. Hopefully sponsors see that likewise and we can cheer for David and TRG the rest of Nascar season 2009.
Report as AbuseThanks sencedaily.com for this great article ... it´s welcome supplementary to all informations we get from David´s fantastic fan board(each Gilliland and TRG Nascar fan should use it)
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» Confirm Abuse Reportburnerboy said:
Mar 17, 2009 at 5:06 PMThis whole team seems to be a good match. Seems everyone is working toward one goal with no distractions. Listening to the radio traffic, the main focus is on "the big picture", you hear it repeated consistently. Hopefully sponsorship can be attracted to a smaller more efficient team who can provide great results at a lower price. Also love seeing David have a little bit of luck go his way this year,he got hit by a flying tire at Lowes last year...that pretty much sums up how his year went.
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» Confirm Abuse Reportrachel herrera said:
Mar 18, 2009 at 4:35 PMWOW! After all the pain and suffering that "Gilly's Gang" has gone through watching David try to make it in sub-par equipment, it is truly a breath of fresh air to see what this team has done so far!! They are the little team that can and will do it! I am so glad to see David finally being able to show those other boys exactly what he is capable of. TRG definately found a winning combination by getting David and Slugger together. As a fan of David's I am highly excited to see what else is going to happen with this team of go getters! Thank you Scenedaily.com for writing this article and we hope to see many more about David and TRG's success soon!!
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