Pit Move: Daytona 500 (cont'd)

Without drafting help, Gilliland watched the field slowly disappear in his windshield -- as the leaders began to appear in his rear-view mirror. Even though his car was as good as new, Gilliland was losing as much as a half-second a lap and desperately needed a caution to regain track position.

It never came.

Caught by leader Kurt Busch on Lap 132, Gilliland went down a lap. However, his fortunes were about to change.

He dodged the Lap 154 wreck that eliminated Busch and Stewart and earned the free pass, getting back on the lead lap at the tail end of the field. That was exactly what his car needed, and at the restart, Gilliland quickly moved from 35th into the top 25.

Then it was just a matter of missing the melees that followed. He avoided getting caught up in the aftermath of the Jimmie Johnson crash on Lap 175 and eight laps later, the one set off by Carl Edwards.

On the Lap 190 restart, Gilliland was 12th. Within four laps, he was eighth. Three laps later, he was fourth and closing ground on leader Mark Martin when Jamie McMurray, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ricky Rudd commenced to wrecking on the backstretch, setting up the two-lap dash for the cash.

Lined up behind Martin, Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle, Gilliland thought he had a chance until Harvick came flying up the outside on the backstretch.

"I was trying to block the inside and the outside and Harvick got a run on me there," Gilliland said. "I tried to go up, but it was too late, and then the guys started wrecking in front of me, so stuff happens.

"It's Daytona and a green-white-checkered finish."