David Gilliland, driver of the No. 38 Yates Racing Ford Fusion, is back in his home state of California for the first of a two-day NASCAR Sprint Cup Series test at California Speedway. Gilliland held a Q&A session at the track to talk about a variety of issues.
DAVID GILLILAND – No. 38 Yates Racing Ford Fusion –
HOW HAS YOUR FIRST DAY OF TESTING GONE SO FAR?
“It’s been real good. We unloaded and we definitely weren’t where we needed to be, but we made some good changes and I feel like here at the end of practice we’re real close to where we need to be. I’m really, really happy with the progress that we’ve made. I think that we had a great test at Vegas and I’m really, really excited about my opportunity this year with Yates Racing. I feel really good about our chances to be able to be much more competitive than we were last year and I’m real excited about that.”
HOW DEEP IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YATES RACING AND ROUSH FENWAY?
“I’m not really 100 percent sure on that, to be honest with you. I know that we’re purchasing our cars from them, which has been a great improvement for Yates Racing and really helped our team, I feel like. We’ve been to Daytona and Vegas so far testing and I feel like we’ve had two very good tests. The cars drove very, very well and I think we’re getting some engineering help from them, which was something that was basically very, very, very minimal with Robert Yates Racing last year. I tell people, it’s funny, when you’re in a situation – my opportunity last year was better than anything I ever had and you always try and do the best you can do with what you have, but being on the other side now and getting the engineering support that we’re getting, and the help, it really makes you realize what you were up against. I think it’s really gonna help our program throughout the year. Actually, we were kind of hit and miss. We’d go to some tracks and we were good and we’d go to some tracks and we were terrible. I think with the engineering support and the new cars that we’re getting, I really feel like it’s gonna help us be a contender week-in and week-out, and it’s worked out great so far.”
IS IT BETTER TO GET INTO THIS SPORT THE WAY YOU DID IT OR A FORMAL DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAM?
“I don’t know. Like you said, we did it the hard way, I guess. I never had money behind me to be able to go and put myself in an opportunity. I feel like I could have done it years ago. I always felt like all I needed was an opportunity, but I think it can go both ways. I talked to Jack Roush probably six years ago and asked him, ‘What do I need to do?’ And he said, ‘Go out and race as much as you can and win races. Get used to racing.’ I don’t know. Like you said, I guess the old-fashioned way. We worked our way up throughout the NASCAR plan that they’ve laid out with late models and grand national cars in Busch and then Cup. I think both ways can work. The younger you are, the more patient the teams are going to have to be when you get there.”
FOLLOW UP RESPONSE.
“I don’t know, you can stumble on that one guy that goes out there and hit a home run with him. There have been teams that have done that. That’s why it’s going in that direction.”
IS THERE SPONSORSHIP IN THE AIR?
“They’ve had some great leads since Yates Racing got started and they’re continuing to work on those. We’ve been close for a while and hopefully we can get something shored up here shortly. I feel good about the leads that they have and feel great about the marketing team that’s working on it for us, so I’m confident that they’ll definitely get something.”
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE WITH THE CAR ON THIS TRACK LAST YEAR AND THIS NEW CAR?
“We’ve been fighting kind of tight and that’s kind of what I’ve heard throughout the garage area, and I think that’s just a characteristic of this car. I think you’re gonna see that at every track we go to, just a little bit tight. Like at Vegas, by the end of the test the cars were driving very, very similar to the old-style cars. Once people got time to work through them and had two days of working on it, and I think the speeds reflected that also.”
WORST-CASE SCENARIO. WHAT WILL THE TEAM DO IF NO SPONSOR IS FOUND?
“I’ve asked that question. I ask it every week, but they’ve told us we’re gonna race and we’ve just got to get out and perform. We’ve got these first five races to get out and do the best we can, and I feel really good about our chances. Like I said, our testing has gone well. We do have some great leads and we’re very close on some stuff, but as far as they’ve told me, we’re racing both cars all year.”
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED MOST FROM YOUR SEASONS IN CUP?
“The biggest thing at the Cup level is that the races are sometimes three times longer than anything I’ve done, so you just learn when you’re racing when to take chances and push the envelope. You just learn that sometimes taking that chance isn’t worth it. Patience is the biggest thing I’ve learned and feel like that’s gonna help me the best this year.”
DO YOU FEEL ANY DESPERATION TO SUCCEED AND DO WELL THIS YEAR?
“Definitely – every year. This sport is very difficult. There are a lot of people waiting in line to get here and I think at this level you have to perform. This year is definitely probably the most pivotal year of my career. I’m not the 18-year-old guy here anymore and I just better get it done, so I feel good. Like I said earlier, with the engineering support we have and the cars and the chassis we’ve been able to get, I think the performance side of it will come. I feel very confident in that this year.”
LAST YEAR BOTH YATES CARS WERE ON THE FRONT ROW OF THE 500, BUT THE FORDS HAVEN’T SHOWN AS STRONG IN TESTING. WHY?
“I don’t think anybody shows all their cards in testing. Like you said, the Fords were kind of in a group and we feel real good about the stuff and what we’re gonna be able to take back to the race. The Toyotas were definitely strong. I know Doug and our engine shop have been extra-hard. I think they’ve got the upper-hand on horsepower right now, but Doug and all the guys are working extra-hard and we feel really good about what we’re gonna be able to bring back. Like I said, it goes both ways. I don’t think everybody shows everything in testing.”
WILL THIS NEW CAR MAKE IT EASIER TO GO FROM A TRACK LIKE CALIFORNIA TO MICHIGAN?
“I think it’s gonna help more with the car of tomorrow than if we would have tested here with the cars we had last year. I think the car of tomorrow is new to everybody on these type of tracks and you get all the information you can gather from a place like this. Michigan is close enough to where you will learn stuff here that you can transfer over to Michigan and with this car, it just makes it even that much more important to gather that information just because it is so new to everybody.”
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Concord, N.C. (March 12, 2008) – The 2008 NASCAR TV season is already off to a great start with an average of more than 11 million people per race day watching the No. 28 Yates Racing Ford during FOX’s coverage. This three-race average doesn’t include the 33.5 million viewers that watched the Daytona 500. With TV ratings up, and the No. 28 team still looking for sponsorship, it only makes sense to highlight one of the many benefits of a primary sponsorship with Yates Racing and the No. 28 team by placing “11 Million” on the hood of the Ford Fusion. Driver Travis Kvapil thinks it’s a unique approach to attracting sponsorship and hopes that he can get his No. 28 “11 Million” Ford to the number one position this Sunday at Bristol.
“I think it’s pretty creative,” said Kvapil. “When you stop and think about it, that’s a lot of eyeballs watching you every weekend, and this is just a fraction of the coverage that we get each week. I can’t imagine what the number would be if you added up all the media coverage along with the practice, qualifying, pre-race and post-race shows. That’s huge.”
Through four races, overall ratings are up more than six percent for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the first three races (Daytona, California, Las Vegas) were ranked the number one sporting event of the weekend. With companies searching for innovative ways to reach customers and avoid the ad skipping technology of TiVo and DVR, a NASCAR sponsorship makes sense. Who wouldn’t want to associate with a top NASCAR team and get there message out there to over 75 million NASCAR fans.
“This is a really exciting time to be associated with NASCAR and Yates Racing,” commented Yates Racing co-owner, Doug Yates. “We have a brand new organization this year with great equipment and two very talented drivers. This is the time for smart, aggressive companies to get in on the ground floor of something special. We are looking for companies who want to take advantage of the current business cycle and create a lasting, positive shift in market share. We have already had a vote of confidence from K&N Filters and Zaxby’s as partners on the No. 28 this season, and we’re confident that other sponsors will see our team as a means to grow their business.”
“We’ve had some good runs this year in the No. 28 and I’m really excited about the progress this team has made in such a short time.” Kvapil continued, “Everyone at Yates Racing is working hard to give me fast race cars each week and it shows.”
Kvapil’s best run in 2008 came at Las Vegas two weeks ago when he finished eighth but in four starts, he has completed 98.9% of the total laps possible. As the team travels to Bristol, Tenn. this week, they have high hopes for the Wisconsin native who seems to know his way around the .533-mile oval. In four career Sprint Cup starts at the track, Kvapil has completed 92.4% of the total laps possible with a career best finish of seventh in 2005. In the Craftsman Truck Series Kvapil mastered the track raking in one win, one pole, two top-10 finishes and three top-15 finishes in just three starts. He has also completed 100% of the total laps possible in the Truck Series.
About Yates Racing
Yates Racing operates two motorsports teams in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Formerly known as Robert Yates Racing, the team is owned by Doug Yates, who took the reins after his father, Robert Yates, retired at the end of the 2007 season, and partnered with Max Jones; a former road racer and long-time championship General Manager. The 2008 season will mark the 20th year of competition for the Ford team. During those years, the organization had a total of 57 wins, 48 poles, 269 top-five finishes, 427 top-ten finishes, and a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. Yates Racing will field two Ford Fusions in the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, with drivers Travis Kvapil and David Gilliland. Sponsorship opportunities are available; please contact Kevin Thomas with Yates Racing at 704-706-2120.
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FreeCreditReport.com Extends Partnership with Yates Racing: Yates Racing announced that Experian Consumer Direct, the leading provider of online direct-to-consumer credit reports, scores, and monitoring products, will sponsor the #38 entry for an additional number of races for the 2008 Sprint Cup Series season. Yates Racing driver, David Gilliland, who pilots the #38 FreeCreditReport.com Ford Fusion, will continue to feature the company's website, www.FreeCreditReport.com. Gilliland has a history with Experian Consumer Direct as a sponsor, racing the #38 FreeCreditReport.com Ford Fusion for a total of eight races in the 2008 Sprint Cup series as well as driving the FreeCreditReport.com Ford 19 times in the 2007 Nationwide Series. "It's wonderful to know that our #38 team will continue to be partnered with FreeCreditReport.com," commented Gilliland. "They have been a wonderful sponsor to our team and it is very comforting to know that we're going to showcase our #38 FreeCreditReport.com Ford for more races this year. Everyone at Yates Racing has worked extremely hard this year to yield strong finishes every week, and we look forward to continuing that tradition for FreeCreditReport.com." Experian Consumer Direct and the FreeCreditReport.com sponsorship will be featured at Richmond International Raceway this weekend in the Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400.(Yates Racing)(5-3-2008)
__________________ Auto racing, bull fighting and mountain climbing are the only real sports... the rest are just games........ Earnest Hemmingway
Ford NSCS California Testing With David Gilliland
No. 28 Ford To Carry “11 Million” At Bristol
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