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#34: Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports, Colortech Ford Mustang
(Photo by Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Underdog House: Todd Gilliland Has ‘Got That Dawg In Him’ at Martinsville

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Top Dog: Todd Gilliland

If you have watched races at Martinsville Speedway for a fair period of time, you likely know that hot dogs are synonymous with the legacy of The Paperclip.

Nestled inside the half-mile track’s infield is The Hot Dog Stand, which has become a staple of the arts among the thousands of fans, crew members, and drivers who flock to the track each year.

Metaphorically, the hot dog can compare to the nature of the drivers on track who excel at NASCAR’s oldest track, or, in other words, “have that dawg in them.”

After 400 laps in the Cook Out 400 on Sunday (March 30), Todd Gilliland proved to hold that distinction among the underdogs, scoring a top-10 finish in 10th.

See also
NASCAR Martinsville Results: Cook Out 400

With Colortech sponsoring his effort, Gilliland certainly had a colorful day to get to the top 10. Rolling off from 25th, the challenge was already an uphill battle, as thick traffic impeded the progress of many starting outside the top 15. That was evident in stage one, as the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford only progressed to 22nd by the end of the opening stage.

The temptation certainly had to lie in the open for Gilliland to become impatient, yet he stymied any potential impulse to methodically work his way forward. By the end of stage two, the 24-year-old had advanced to 18th.

The final stage looked like a setting at times where you would also find a good hot dog, yet not exactly the best racing. Extended green flag runs in stage two quickly yielded to bumper cars you’d see at a carnival, with a string of cautions occurring over roughly the final 125 laps. However, the restarts allowed Gilliland to inch towards the top 10 until he finally entered it for good.

A 75-lap run to the checkered flag tested the tire management and craft of Gilliland, who passed with flying colors to score his second top 10 of the season.

Martinsville has left a good taste in Gilliland’s mouth in his young career, as this top 10 serves as his second such finish and fourth showing of 13th or better in seven starts at the short track in Virginia.

Now sitting 21st in points, the FRM driver will look to take this result and run with it to reassert himself in the playoff hunt as the Cup series approaches the conclusion of the season’s first quarter.

Notable Underdog Runs

Gilliland’s predecessor in the No. 34, Michael McDowell, has had the adverse taste effect at Martinsville, entering this year’s spring race with just one top 15 in 29 starts. However, fortunes might be shifting for the veteran driver, placing 12th for his career-best finish at The Paperclip.

Representing NASCAR’s return to Rockingham Speedway aboard his No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, McDowell was solid as a rock throughout the afternoon. The Phoenix, Ariz., native steadily paced his car though the first two stages to rack up a pair of 19th-place stage results.

Those quiet stages served as a springboard into the final stage, where McDowell slowly began to reveal his true speed. He carved his way through traffic over green flag runs and restarts to even place himself in position to score a top 10.

McDowell was shuffled out of the top 10 during the final restart, but he stayed within a stone’s throw of it before settling for 12th. Despite being shut out of the top 10 through the first seven races, McDowell still sits in 15th in points on the back of six top 20s to open the year.

Throughout the race, it felt like the Dillon brothers appeared on the Fox Sports 1 broadcast at many points, with Austin Dillon being the main focal point for noticeable speed. However, it was his younger brother Ty Dillon who won the sibling war, finishing in 15th, three spots ahead of his older brother.

Short run speed was Ty Dillon’s strength throughout the race, which largely benefited him in the final stage. His No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet looked like a foosball at several moments, yet he held tough to reach the top 20 by the end of stage two.

Close calls in the final 200 laps appeared to make Ty Dillon stronger, including a brush with disaster when Ty Gibbs spun on lap 298.

Once the Welcome, N.C., native got to the top 15, he spent the rest of the day there to score his best finish at Martinsville since 2019. He also beat both Richard Childress Racing cars, an organization with which Kaulig Racing has an alliance.

The recovery of the race among the underdogs has to go to Zane Smith, who was swept up in Gibbs’ incident. Let’s just say that Monster Energy and Long John Silvers aren’t a great pairing.

While Smith suffered damage to the nose and right front of his No. 38 FRM Ford, a little Martinsville damage never hurt anybody. Even better for Smith was the fact that he was able to get four fresh tires, which aided in his recovery. Through additional cautions and moves made over the final run, the 25-year-old was able to recover to 16th, earning his fourth finish of 16th or better in the first seven races. He was also credited with the most green flag passes in the field with 101.

Carson Hocevar‘s Martinsville experience went smoother than his last trip to Old Dominion, as he wrapped up the evening in 19th. However, it wasn’t quite squeaky clean.

Hocevar’s first incident involved Chris Buescher, who spun across Hocevar’s nose on lap 71 while exiting turn 4. The dust-up appeared to be a miscommunication for both drivers, but it clearly wasn’t optimal in the blossoming portion of the race.

Shortly later, Hocevar exchanged some blows with his Spire Motorsports teammate, Justin Haley, summoning frustration from Haley’s team.

After things finally settled down, the sophomore driver was hit with a penalty for pitting outside the box. Fortunately, he would recover to score the top-20 result after three consecutive finishes outside the top 30.

Stat to Chew On

Underdog organizations were the winners of the day at the legendary short track. McDowell’s 12th-place finish was the best by a Spire driver in its history at The Paperclip.

Additionally, Dillon’s 15th-place showing was just the second top 15 for Kaulig at the track, coming off the heels of Shane van Gisbergen‘s team-best 12th-place result last fall.

See also
NASCAR Standings After Martinsville

Underdog Power Rankings

1. McDowell (NR): To clear things up, McDowell should have been in the top five a week ago. But, with that in the past, take a look at the now. As mentioned earlier, McDowell surprisingly does not have a top 10 in the bank yet. However, he is quietly on pace to record a career-best average pace, beating his current lowest (16.7) by a full position. If you want a sleeper playoff contender, you might be looking at him.

2. Hocevar (+1): Three weeks in the basement finally saw the doors open back to the top 20 for Hocevar, who slipped to 28th in points. Still, the speed is there, and if he can execute, that could play into his hands at Darlington Raceway. Despite a pair of finishes outside the top 25 last year, Darlington feels like a track waiting for Hocevar to excel.

3. AJ Allmendinger (-1): In spite of earning eight stage points by using strategy in stage one, Allmendinger slid to 23rd at Martinsville after back-to-back top 10s. It’s been over a year since Allmendinger drove the Next Gen car at Darlington, but his last trip was productive. He finished 13th in the fall of 2023.

4. Gilliland (NR): Two rough weeks gave way to Gilliland’s second top 10 of 2025 as he looks to find the same consistency we saw from him last spring. Darlington should provide an opportunity for the Sherrills Ford, N.C., native to continue on that trajectory, where he has three top 15s in six starts.

5. Smith (–): Three finishes of 16th or better in the last four races has Smith looking like a potential Cinderella candidate to burst the playoff bubble this season. Darlington will be an additional challenge to Smith in the face of the trivial character it already possesses. His first two starts there produced runs of 35th and 23rd.

Honorable Mentions (Haley, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., John Hunter Nemechek)

Small Team Scheme of the Week

What goes well with a hot dog? An ice cold root beer.

The familiar colors of A&W returned to FRM, adorning Noah Gragson‘s No. 4 Ford. The warm orange and brown colors blended well with the refreshing white, combining for a classic look for a classic brand. Of course, root beer doesn’t go well with everything (ask Buescher’s Old El Paso car), but it’s still a treat for FRM’s crop of young talent.

Entering his fifth year with Frontstretch, Luken Glover is the author of The Underdog House, shedding light on the motivation and performance of NASCAR's dark horse teams as they strive to fight to the top. Additionally, Glover reports for the site at various events, and he contributes in the video editing department.

A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a middle school math and PE teacher, as well as a basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.

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