A week ago at the Kentucky Speedway
David Gilliland, climbed out of his No. 84 Chevrolet fielded by Clay Andrews Racing in victory lane after winning the Meijer
300.
In a year where the "Buschwhackers"
(Nextel Cup regulars who regularly compete in Busch Series races), have won every single race, many thought that a Busch regular
like Paul Menard or Johnny Sauter would be the first to end the Buschwhacker brigade atop each Busch race so far this year.
Not a driver driving for a team that has all of three or four cars in its stable.
The shocker that the racing
world witnessed last Saturday night is one that had not be seen in a few years. The last one that comes to mind February 1998
at Rockingham, when a young upstart beat a young gun who had superior equipment. The young upstart: Matt Kenseth. The young
gun: Tony Stewart.
Saturday's race was Gilliland's seventh
career Busch Series start, and 5th of the year. His first two races were the last two of the 2005 season, where, out of a
possible 400 laps, he completed just 36 of them, finishing dead last in both starts.
This year was not going well either.
He spun on his qualifying lap at California
earlier this year, and failed to qualify because of it. His first start of this season came at Las Vegas,
where he started last and finished 39th.
As a matter of fact his best career
finish before his win at Kentucky was a 29th at Texas.
But where he has finished has not told the whole story, as many of his bad finishes were do to engine problems.
Last Saturday night's shocker proved
too many that this kid deserves a shot at either a full-time Busch ride or maybe even a Cup ride (and he has been fielding
offers). There are going to be many vacancies following this year, and not many "free agents" to choose from. Gilliland, 30
is a little a little older than the average “Young Gun” in the Cup Series, but still young enough to get a career
in NASCAR going.
Gilliland did make his first Nextel
Cup start Sunday at Infineon. He rolled off 31st and finished 32nd. Better than such drivers as former
series champions Dale Jarrett and Bobby Labonte and one of the best road racers on the circuit Robby Gordon.
Not bad for a guy who was not really
known just a week ago.
2006 StockCar Review.
