Gilliland Returns To BMR For Memphis Race
• Joins With Kraus, Zamora In K&N East Event
ROSEVILLE, Calif. (May 28, 2019) – Todd Gilliland will return to compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East this week, joining with Bill McAnally Racing in a race at Memphis International Raceway on Saturday.
Gilliland, a two-time champion in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West who now drives for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, will team with BMR regulars Derek Kraus and Brittney Zamora.
Kraus, driver of the No. 16 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry that Gilliland piloted at BMR, leads the championship standings as the K&N East heads to the 3/4-mile Tennessee tri-oval for the 150-lap event.
Gilliland will drive BMR’s No. 19 NAPA Power Premium Plus/NGK Toyota Camry at Memphis – filling in for Hailie Deegan, who will be competing in an ARCA Series race over the weekend at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania. Gilliland, 19, of Sherrills Ford, North Carolina has 19 career wins in NASCAR K&N Pro Series competition. He won the K&N West titles with BMR and NAPA in 2016 and 2017.
He has one previous series start at Memphis. In that event two years ago, he appeared headed for a win; but a flat tire with less than 20 laps to go took him out of contention and left him to finish eighth.
Kraus – a 17-year-old NASCAR Next driver from Stratford, Wisconsin – has won two of the four K&N East races this year and has a four-point lead in the championship standings. He kicked things off with a victory in the season opener at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway and scored his other win in the second of two races of a doubleheader at South Boston Speedway in Virginia.
He finished 14th in last year’s series visit to Memphis, in his only previous series start there.
In addition to leading the K&N East points, Kraus is also first in the K&N West championship standings. He swept both races of a recent K&N West doubleheader at Tucson Speedway in Arizona, giving him wins in two of four races in that division, as well.
Zamora – a 20-year-old series rookie from Kennewick, Washington – drives the No. 99 NAPA Filters/ENEOS Toyota Camry. She also had a big weekend in the K&N West doubleheader at Tucson – winning her first career pole award, leading her first laps of competition in pacing the field for 26 circuits, and finishing third in just her fourth series start.
This will be Zamora’s third K&N East start and her first visit to Memphis.
NAPA and BMR have plenty of activities planned surrounding the Memphis race. The team will meet with a big group of NAPA customers on Thursday night, as part of a special go-kart event that Gilliland will attend.
“It’s really great that Todd will be there to participate in the event,” said team owner Bill McAnally. “We look forward to having him back with us at Memphis – with the two series championships he won with us and his relationship with NAPA.”
A large group of NAPA guests, meanwhile, are slated to attend a special event on Friday evening at the Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid in downtown Memphis – as BMR drivers join others in greeting fans and signing autographs.
“For the event on Friday, we’ve invited a lot of NAPA customers and people coming in for the race on Saturday,” McAnally said.
The NAPA Distribution Center in Memphis is hosting a hospitality event at the track on Saturday. BMR will also treat guests to a VIP Experience, with a special pit tour and the opportunity to attend the drivers meeting.
The Memphis race is to air live on FansChoice.TV – the streaming digital platform that’s airing the entire NASCAR regional series calendar live this year. In addition, the race is slated to be televised on NBCSN on June 5 at 6 p.m. ET.