Gilliland second in his first race at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Nobody pinch David Gilliland, because if this is a dream, he doesn't want to wake up.

"I've always dreamed about racing here at Daytona and to be able to come and do it -- my first race ever and bring home a second-place finish -- is a dream come true," Gilliland said after finishing second to Tony Stewart in Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway.

	BUDWEISER SHOOTOUT
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A year ago, Gilliland was a virtual unknown, a talented youngster without a full-time ride, more known for being Butch Gilliland's kid than a racer in his own right.

"Somebody asked me earlier where I was at this time last year," Gilliland said. "I was in the shop and didn't even have a chance to watch the Daytona 500. We were working on our Busch cars and trying to build a team from nothing.

"To be here one year later is just crazy. It's a dream come true, and I hope I don't wake up from it. So many things have happened so fast and I'm just trying to keep up with them all. "

Competing in his first Shootout, and his first race at Daytona, Gilliland looked every bit the veteran, calmly maneuvering his No. 38 Ford through traffic during the final 13 laps. He got behind Stewart but didn't have the car -- or the knowledge -- to make a pass for the lead at the end.

He came within a car-length of pulling off a surprise victory that would have equaled Denny Hamlin's win a year ago.

"I tried to go and make some moves early on and got hung out to dry and went straight to the back," Gilliland said. "The opportunity was going to have to be pretty perfect for me to do something.

"[Kurt Busch] was coming up there and giving me a couple of good pushes but nothing enough to really hang my neck out on the line. The right opportunity just wasn't there."

Gilliland proved to be an able student, figuring out fairly quickly what worked, and what didn't.

"I'm still learning the aero tendencies of the car," he said. "The car feels like it has a bubble on it. You are able to get up to somebody and right when you think you're actually going to bump them, it really shoots them away."

Gilliland's confidence was buoyed by a veteran presence. In addition to his regular spotter, teammate Ricky Rudd went upstairs and offered advice.

"I just can't say enough about him as a teammate," Gilliland said. "He's really taken me under his arm. He's helped me more in the last month than any other driver has in my whole career.

"Ricky was up there and we had 14 [laps] to go after the pit stop and he said, 'Your car didn't get start getting tight until after about 15, 16 laps so just go for it.' Having that sense of confidence in your ear from someone like Ricky Rudd means a lot."

If luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity, Gilliland would rather be lucky than good. It's a good thing the folks at Robert Yates Racing think he's both.

"All I did was win one Busch race and really had a golden opportunity here," Gilliland said. "They took a big chance on me and I'm doing everything I can to make them proud and try to be in this series for a long time."