NASCAR Camping World Truck Series | Texas Review | Ralph Arvesen
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series practice at the Toyota Tundra 225 at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas on May 21, 2021. (Photo: Ralph Arvesen)

Todd Gilliland earned his second career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race by taking the checkered flag nearly eight seconds ahead of his closest challenger Saturday at the Toyota Tundra 225 at Circuit of The Americas. Todd Gilliland was so fast and so determined out front in Saturday’s Toyota Tundra 225 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race his own team had to remind him to slow down and take care of his tires in the closing laps of the series debut at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) race.

Despite receiving the cautionary advice, Gilliland, 21, did not ease off and raced to a hefty 7.941-second margin of victory to earn his second career series win and first since 2019. His No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford set the fastest lap of the race with two laps remaining.
“I definitely did a lot of stuff wrong but that’s what I love about road course racing, there’s 20 turns here, 20 opportunities to pass, but also make mistakes," Gilliland said, thanking his Front Row Motorsports team. “Last year we didn’t quite have the season we knew we could and just to come out here and win early, we’ve been building momentum and for my team to get this win is just amazing."
Gilliland and the rest of the field ran wet tires flag-to-flag as the race began in a steady rain. As things dried out a bit, his team kept reminding him to be careful and look for wet spots on the track. He hit his marks on the 3.41-mile 20-turn circuit and he hit the puddled water just enough to carry on to the victory, leading the final six laps and earning an extra $50,000 incentive in the second race of the series’ Triple Truck Challenge.

Kaz Grala finished runner-up, followed by pole-winner Tyler Ankrum, Grant Enfinger and defending series champ Sheldon Creed, who led a race-best 14 of the 41 laps. Seventeen year-old driver Sam Mayer, rookie Carson Hocevar, Zane Smith, Austin Hill and Ben Rhodes rounded out the top 10. Championship points leader John Hunter Nemechek finished 12th.

Gilliland actually won Stage 1, his first stage win of 2021, and was first out during the ensuing pit stops during that caution period. But NASCAR ruled one of his pit crew members was over the wall too soon and Gilliland was penalized, sent to the rear of the field on the restart. With Gilliland now forced to play catch-up, Creed led most of Stage 2, pitting just before it ended and allowing Ben Rhodes to instead take his first Stage win of the year.

Creed and Ankrum battled one another up front, at one point passing each other three different times on one lap, before Gilliland, who methodically worked his way forward was able to take the lead for good with six laps remaining. Grala passed Ankrum with two laps remaining to tie his best-ever series finish. Gilliland becomes the fourth full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver to win this season, joining two-race winners John Hunter Nemechek and Rhodes, and last week’s winner Creed.

Source: NASCAR Wire Service

PositionDriverCar NumberStarting Position
1Todd Gilliland385
2Kaz Grala022
3Tyler Ankrum261
4Grant Enfinger923
5Sheldon Creed23
6Sam Mayer3221
7Carson Hocevar4217
8Zane Smith2115
9Austin Hill169
10Ben Rhodes9911

NASCAR
NASCAR is the largest racing organization in the United States and is most famous for the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Camping World Truck Series. Each year NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 48 US states as well as in Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

Looking to the future, NASCAR is developing the Next Gen car, expected to hit the track in 2021. The new car is going to feature a redesigned body and under-the-hood enhancements to make NASCAR stock cars even more like the cars in showrooms across America.

Circuit of The Americas
Circuit of The Americas is the premier destination for world-class motorsports and entertainment in the United States. Set on 1,500 acres in the rolling hills just outside downtown Austin, Circuit of The Americas has hosted the biggest names in racing, action sports and music since 2012. At its heart is a 3.41-mile racetrack that was designed to challenge the world's most exacting competitors while providing a thrilling spectacle for audiences.

The 20-turn, counterclockwise circuit takes advantage of the naturally undulating landscape, including an intimidating 133-foot hill at Turn 1 that must be seen in person to be believed. It is home to Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, NASCAR EchoPark Texas Grand Prix, and MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, and has played host to ESPN's X Games, the FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Pirelli World Challenge and more.

NASCAR
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Photos by Ralph Arvesen
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