The Frontstretch: David Gilliland Qualifies the No. 02 Farm Bureau ...

by Beth Lunkenheimer

October 19th - October 23rd, 2009

Monday: Those chilly temps weren't the only problem at Charlotte, with a Silly Season slump slowing down a weekend usually dedicated to announcing plans for 2010. Tom Bowles explains why no news was bad news in his latest Bowles-Eye View.

Tuesday: The NASCAR Nationwide Series is barely recognizable compared to what it was a decade ago. How does the man who has run more races in that series than any other driver feel about the changes? See what Jason Keller has to say about past success, present problems, and his uncertain future in this week's edition of Beyond the Cockpit.

Wednesday: Lowe's Motor Speedway did not treat most of the Chasers too kindly, causing a small earthquake in our Weekly Power Rankings. See who's left standing inside our poll after just four championship contenders finished Saturday night in the top 10.

Thursday: Oh, the irony. While Ford Motor Company weathered the economy far better than its American competition, that uptick in the salesroom has been balanced out by their worst on-track showing in over a quarter century. Matt McLaughlin Mouths Off on why the automaker is winless in the Cup Series since the end of February.

Friday: The Chase, with its abundance of intermediate tracks, seems to play right into Jimmie Johnson's hands. Should NASCAR do anything to change that - and is there anything they The day didn’t start out the way the No. 02 Farm Bureau Insurance team would’ve preferred. Rain poured throughout the morning and into early afternoon at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The No. 02 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota was one of 12 cars that needed to qualify into the race on time and due to lack of owner points would have been sent home if qualifying was rained out. Fortunately, the rain disappeared and NASCAR allowed the teams to get on the track for a short 30 minute practice, in order to get their cars ready for qualifying. “With the track being so cold, I figured it would be fast, which could make the car tight and hard to turn. It was chattering the tires coming off the corners pretty bad. Overall, I couldn’t complain considering those were our first laps on the track in the car. After the practice Wally (Brown) and I got together with the team and talked about changes that could make it turn better during our qualifying lap,” said David Gilliland. David Gilliland and the Farm Bureau Insurance team had some waiting to do before they were able to see if those changes would make the difference, as the team rolled off second to last on the grid. When it was time to roll-off the grid David Gilliland proved he knew how to put the throttle down – qualifying the Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota 14 “The Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota was still tight and it wanted to drift up to the wall but I kept my foot down and drove through it and it stuck. I’m proud of Wally (Brown) and the guys. I really wanted to do well tonight – I know there will be plenty of Farm Bureau Insurance agents here on Saturday night, so we really wanted to make them proud,” said David Gilliland after exiting the No. 02 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota. Its driver lineup consists of Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano in the Sprint Cup Series; Hamlin, Busch, Logano and Brad Coleman in the Nationwide Series; and Matt DiBenedetto and Darrell Wallace, Jr. in its driver development program. Based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by Joe Gibbs – a three-time Super Bowl winner as head coach of the Washington Redskins and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame – JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, winning three Cup Series championships, and one Nationwide Series owner’s championship along with more than 100 NASCAR races, including three Brickyard 400s and the 1993 Daytona 500.

Source: The Frontstretch: David Gilliland Qualifies the No. 02 Farm Bureau ...