David Gilliland

Birthday: 04/01/1976
Hometown: Riverside, CA

YEAR-BY-YEAR CUP SERIES RECAP

2011 -- Finished 30th in series points. ... Started season with a third-place effort in Daytona 500. ... Equaled career-best with two top-10 finishes. ... Average finish of 28.2. ... Best start, 17th at Bristol-2. ... Average start of 34.7. ... For second consecutive season running at finish of 30 of 36 races. ... Completed 90.8 percent of laps attempted.

2010 -- Finished 32nd in series points. ... Joined Front Row Motorsports after failing to qualify at Daytona for BAM Racing. Didn't enter two races but qualified for 32 of 33. ... Best start, 16th, at Bristol-1; average start 36th. ... Best finish, 19th (Martinsville-1, Infineon); average finish 29.3. ... Completed 96.5 percent of laps attempted.

2009 -- Finished 37th in series points. ... Scrambling season skipping three races, driving for five owners (Kevin Buckler, Joe Gibbs, Wood Brothers, Robby Gordon, James Finch). ... Best start, 12th, at Bristol-2; average start 29th. ... Best finish, 14th, at Las Vegas for Buckler; average finish 33.9. ... Season troubled by 14 DNFs.

2008 -- Finished career-best 27th in series points. ... Second full season at Yates Racing, this time teamed with Travis Kvapil. ... Team struggled for sponsorship but completed 94.2 percent of laps attempted. ... Best start, third, at Pocono-2; average start 29.8. ... Best finish, second, at Infineon; one of 10 top-20 finishes; average finish 26.2. ... Had eight DNFs, including getting parked at Texas-2 for intentionally wrecking Juan Montoya.

2007 -- Finished 28th in series points. ... First full season in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. ... Won the pole for the Daytona 500. ... Proved strong on restrictor-plate tracks, finishing in the top 15 in three of the four races including finishes of eighth (Daytona 500) and fourth (Talladega spring) ... Fourth-place finish at Talladega was career-best result. ... Led 18 laps in the Daytona 500

2006 -- Finished 42nd in series points. ... Made NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Infineon Raceway in June 2006. ... Joined Robert Yates Racing in August. ... Recorded first career pole and career-best finish of 15th place, at Talladega Superspeedway in October. ... Matched career-best finish with 15th-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in November.

PREVIOUS RACING HISTORY

In 2011 made single NASCAR K&N Pro Series West start and finished second at Infineon for owner Bob Bruncati. ... Began career in K&N Pro Series West; first as crew chief for father Butch Gilliland's team that won the 1997 series championship. ... Made first stock car start on dirt in 1998 at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway and won two of his first seven starts. In 1999 at Perris won nine of 15 stock car division features before he switched to asphalt. ... In 2000 began racing late models and won twice at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale (Calif.). ... In 2001 began competing in the NASCAR Southwest Tour for late models, winning in his fourth start, then continuing in 2002 with five wins. ... In 2004, while competing in the Southwest Series he made his K&N Pro Series West debut and won at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif., in his second series start. ... Raced full-time in K&N West in 2004-2005, winning 2004 Rookie of the Year and posting two victories. ... Made NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in 2005 at Phoenix. ... Joined an upstart, un-sponsored team for a limited Nationwide Series schedule in 2006 and scored a dramatic "upset" victory in his seventh career start, at Kentucky on June 17, 2006.

NOTEWORTHY

Played on his high school golf team with PGA professional Tiger Woods. ... Active on Twitter: @DGilliland2010.