DRIVER, M&M’S® #38 FORD FUSION
Birth date: April 1, 1976 ¨ Hometown: Riverside, CA
Spouse: Michelle ♦ Children: Todd, Taylor
Sunny, southern California, known for its beautiful beaches and big movie stars, is a long way from the southern shorts tracks where NASCAR is king. But over the past decade a steady stream of hopeful drivers have traveled from the Golden State to chase their dreams of becoming a stock car driver in NASCAR’s top series. The latest name on the list is that of Riverside native David Gilliland, driver for M&M’S® Chocolate Candies, who after a quiet West Coast career made a big entrance into the world of NASCAR.
Following in the footsteps of a racing family, Gilliland spent the majority of his youth working on the race cars driven by his father Butch. Working his way through the ranks on his father’s team, Gilliland moved from mechanic to crew chief on the #38 NASCAR Winston West team at the young age of 19. Just a year later, he was awarded the Champion Crew Chief of the Year award for the series when his dad clinched the 1997 Winston West Championship.
Gilliland’s talent underneath the hood paved the way to his climbing behind the wheel the following season as he split time between his crew chief duties and the driver’s seat. In seven starts at the Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway, Gilliland took home two checkered flags in the stock car division. The following season Gilliland became a regular at Perris winning 14 out of 15 heat races and nine out of 15 main events in the stock car division.
In 2000, Gilliland built his own late model team and began competing at Irwindale Speedway on a full-time basis. His efforts proved rewarding as he landed in victory lane twice that season before making the jump the following year to the to the NASCAR Southwest Tour, where he won his first regional touring race in only his fourth start. Staying in the Southwest Tour the following season Gilliland posted five victories and finished top-10 in the championship point standings.
Now a regular on the West Coast stock car circuit, Gilliland found himself behind the wheel of a NASCAR Grand National West Series machine in 2004. Just as he had before, Gilliland made quick work of the learning curve in a new series and reached victory lane in only his second Grand National West Series start. The California native captured the Rookie of Year honors for the Grand National Series while also competing in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series.
In 2005, Gilliland again competed in the West Series scoring another win along with numerous top-five and top-ten finishes. During this same season, he posted his biggest victory to date by winning the Toyota All-Star Showdown.
Even with all his success on the West Coast, Gilliland could not keep his focus from drifting east to North Carolina. At the start of 2006, Gilliland moved his family 3000 miles away from their home state to Charlotte to take a chance on finding a ride in one of NASCAR’s top-three series. Gilliland’s break came after teaming up with fellow California native and team owner Clay Andrews to run a partial schedule in the NASCAR Busch Series.
Competing without sponsorship, Gilliland was against the odds racing alongside NASCAR’s powerhouse teams, but on June 17, 2006 everything changed for the kid from California. In only his seventh career Busch Series start, Gilliland won under the lights at the Kentucky Speedway beating out several of the NEXTEL Cup Series drivers to become the first Busch Series regular to post a win during the season.
The win opened the door to the opportunity Gilliland was hoping for after moving his family just six months earlier – a chance to compete in NASCAR’s NEXTEL Cup Series.
After a mid-season driver change at Robert Yates Racing, Gilliland took the wheel of the M&M’S® #38 Ford beginning at Michigan International Speedway on August 18. Joining a championship-winning organization, Gilliland was teamed up with one of NASCAR’s most successful crew chiefs, Todd Parrott for the final 14 races of the season. The veteran crew chief led his rookie driver to top-15 finishes at Talladega and Atlanta as well as clinching his first NEXTEL Cup Series pole at Talladega qualifying Gilliland for the 2007 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.
This season Gilliland returns as the driver of the M&M’S Ford for his first full season of competition in the NEXTEL Cup Series. Gilliland is joined by Yates Racing teammate, NASCAR veteran Ricky Rudd, who not only returns to RYR but also joins the Masterfoods family with Snickers® Brand as the primary sponsor of the #88 entry.
FUN FACTS:
Personal Vehicles: 2007 Lincoln Navigator, Yamaha Rhino
Favorite Tracks: Kentucky Speedway, Perris Auto Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway
Favorite Race: NEXTEL All-Star Challenge
Greatest Racing Memories: Capturing first NEXTEL Cup pole at Talladega (10/06), Winning his first Busch Series race at Kentucky Speedway (6/06), Winning the Toyota All-Star Showdown (2005)
Childhood Racing Heroes: Dale Earnhardt, Davey Allison
What would David do if he was not a race car driver? Building race cars
Sports Favorites: Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Cowboys
Favorite Candy: M&M’S (David’s favorite M&M’S color is Red!)
Favorite Restaurant: Benihanas
Favorite Food: Steak, Sushi
Favorite Music Artists: Kid Rock
Favorite Pastime: Fishing, Boating
Favorite Video Games: NASCAR 2007, MX vs. ATV Unleashed
Favorite thing to do during the off-season: Vacation, spend time with family and friends
