Todd Gilliland will remain a cornerstone of Front Row Motorsports for years to come.
The organization announced Friday that it has signed the 26-year-old to a contract extension that will keep him behind the wheel of the No. 34 Ford in the NASCAR Cup Series through the 2027 season, ending any speculation about his immediate future as Silly Season begins to heat up.
The news comes during one of the busiest stretches of Gilliland’s career. Not only is he preparing for Sunday’s Window World 450 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, but he has also become one of the surprise stories of NASCAR’s inaugural In-Season Challenge after advancing to the semifinal round.
Front Row Motorsports doubles down on Todd Gilliland
Gilliland has been with Front Row Motorsports since joining the organization in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2020. After two playoff appearances and a Truck Series victory, he earned a full-time Cup Series opportunity in 2022.
Since then, the California native has steadily become one of the team’s foundational pieces.
Last season, Gilliland moved into Front Row’s flagship No. 34 Ford following Michael McDowell’s departure and delivered the best statistical season of his Cup career, recording a personal-best 20.8 average finish while narrowly missing a breakthrough victory at Talladega Superspeedway.
This season has been more challenging. Entering North Wilkesboro, Gilliland sits 24th in the Cup Series standings and remains outside the provisional Chase field.
Still, Front Row Motorsports has made it clear it believes Gilliland is part of the organization’s long-term future.
The extension also provides stability as NASCAR’s annual Silly Season begins to accelerate, locking one of the team’s three full-time Cup seats into place before the postseason arrives.
Gilliland believes North Wilkesboro could spark his season
While his future is now settled, Gilliland’s focus quickly shifts back to the racetrack.
The No. 34 driver enters Sunday’s race at North Wilkesboro as one of the final four drivers remaining in NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge after surviving three consecutive rounds as an underdog.
“We’ve been barely hanging on by the skin of our teeth each one of these rounds,” Gilliland said this week. “But we’re here now, and now we only got two more guys to beat.”
Beyond the tournament, Gilliland believes North Wilkesboro opens an important stretch of short-track races that could help Front Row Motorsports build momentum for the remainder of the regular season.
“Going back to some short tracks will be really good for us,” Gilliland said. “When we show up to places like Martinsville, Richmond, those are places that I feel like we should be able to go out and honestly compete in the top 10 all day.”
He included North Wilkesboro among those opportunities.
“North Wilkesboro, I feel like, should be in that category, but we’ve never really ran that great there [in three All-Star Weekends].”
Gilliland also acknowledged that teammate Zane Smith has shown the potential of what Front Row’s cars are capable of this season, something he hopes his own team can continue chasing.
“I think consistency still just needs to be our main goal from the 34 side,” Gilliland said. “Seeing what [teammate] Zane Smith has done, I think he’s shown much more speed than us, which is always tough to kind of look yourself in the mirror.
“I think that goes for everyone on my team. He’s kind of showing us what the potential of our cars and our team can do. There’s definitely some room to improve, but we’re trying to chip away at it.”
Even if his Cinderella run in the In-Season Challenge comes to an end this weekend, Gilliland believes the experience has already created positive momentum inside the organization.
“I think there’s small wins along the way,” he said. “I definitely think from an enthusiasm side, attitude side in the shop, that this In-Season [Challenge] — any positive momentum — can definitely help us.”
With his future at Front Row Motorsports now secure, Gilliland can turn his attention toward building on that momentum, beginning Sunday night at North Wilkesboro.
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