CUP: Gilliland Not Out Of Work Long

Sprint Cup

CUP: Gilliland Not Out Of Work Long

David Gilliland will drive the Wood Brothers Racing Ford this weekend...

Tom Jensen | Posted September 04, 2009 Charlotte, NC

David Gilliland, bounced out of one ride lands in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Fusion for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Like fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Bobby Labonte, David Gilliland’s term of unemployment was mercifully short.

Gilliand, who on Thursday was replaced behind the wheel of the No. 71 TRG Motorsports Chevrolet Impala SS by Labonte, has a new ride of his own this weekend: He’ll pilot the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Fusion, which he’ll try to qualify in the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Also, Gilliland is reportedly in line for a four-race deal with Joe Gibbs Racing No. 02 Toyota Camry, with sponsorship from Farm Bureau.

All told, it’s been a whirlwind week for both Gilliland and Labonte, who found out earlier this week that he’ll only run five of the final 12 races of the season in the No. 96 Hall of Fame Racing Ford. In the other seven races, Erik Darnell will drive the No. 96, while Labonte will race the No. 71 Chevy.

Gilliland, meanwhile, is subbing for Elliott this weekend because of back problems the 1989 Sprint Cup champion is experiencing.

“Given the modified practice schedule where the practices and qualifying are all being done on Saturday, we didn't feel there was enough time to make changes to the seat if Bill wasn't comfortable and we needed to get another driver,” said Wood Brothers co-owner Eddie Wood. “We called David to see if he was available. Thankfully he was and agreed to help.”

Gilliland has 6 starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway with his best finish (15th) coming in 2006. In 109 career Sprint Cup starts, Gilliland, 33, has two top-five and four top-10 finishes, with a best of second-place at Infineon Raceway in 2008.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or Speed Channel

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of ?Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,? and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to

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Tom Jensen

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