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Tag: Chris Lawson

  • Chris Lawson named crew chief for Todd Gilliland for 2025 Cup Series season

    Chris Lawson named crew chief for Todd Gilliland for 2025 Cup Series season

    Chris Lawson has been named crew chief for Todd Gilliland and the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports (FRM) Ford Mustang Dark Horse team for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

    The news comes as Lawson, a former racer turned crew chief from Medway, Ohio, spent this past season as a Cup Series crew chief for Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry that was split between Justin Haley and Corey LaJoie. Through the first 29-scheduled events of the 2024 season, Haley recorded two top-10 results. Following a midseason driver swap between Rick Ware Racing and Spire Motorsports, LaJoie replaced Haley and piloted the No. 51 entry for the remaining seven events on the schedule. At the conclusion of the 2024 season, the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing entry settled in 34th place in the final owner’s standings.

    Lawson, who made his crew chief debut during the 2018 Craftsman Truck Series season for DGR-Crosley, first joined FRM in 2020 when he was paired with Gilliland and the No. 38 Ford F-150 team. Over the next four seasons, Lawson would notch six victories while working with Gilliland and Zane Smith. During the 2022 season, Lawson achieved his first NASCAR championship as a crew chief when Smith fended off the competition during an overtime shootout to win the finale at Phoenix Raceway. The championship would also mark the first for both Smith and FRM.

    Prior to the 2024 season, Lawson made his debut as a Cup Series crew chief for Gilliland and the No. 36 FRM Ford team at Talladega Superspeedway, where Gilliland finished 10th. Through 36 appearances as a Cup Series crew chief, Lawson has recorded three top-10 results and has worked with four different competitors as both he and Gilliland strive to notch their first victory in NASCAR’s premier series in 2025. The duo had previously achieved back-to-back ARCA Menards Series West championships between the 2016 and 2017 seasons while competing for Bill McAnally Racing.

    For the 2025 Cup Series season, Lawson and Gilliland replace crew chief Travis Peterson and driver Michael McDowell. The latter duo are set to join Spire Motorsports after spending this past season notching a season-high six poles, seven top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 21.3 with FRM’s No. 34 team.

    The remainder of Front Row Motorsports’ driver and crew chief lineup remains to be determined.

    The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season for crew chief Chris Lawson, driver Todd Gilliland and the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse team is scheduled to commence with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. This event will be followed by the 67th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway that is scheduled to occur on February 16 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Todd Gilliland Scores Pair of Late Model Runner Up Finishes at Ace Speedway

    Todd Gilliland Scores Pair of Late Model Runner Up Finishes at Ace Speedway

    Third generation racer Todd Gilliland, son of David Gilliland and grandson of Butch Gilliland, got back to racing for the season at Ace Speedway, where he finished second in his late-model stock car (LMSC) debut and also in the 40-lap Limited Late Model race later that same evening.

    “I raced in two classes, Late Model and Limited Late Model, and finished second in both,” the thirteen year old said. “I was happy, especially for my first race of the season.”

    “Of course I wanted to win though,” the driver of the No. 98 Ford said, just a bit dejectedly.

    The youngster had to battle mightily for his second place finish in the 75-lap LMSC race on the 4/10 mile track, starting in the eighth spot but dropping back to the 14th position early in the race.  Once he got his bearings, however, be began his march up to the front and by halfway through the race, he returned to the top-10.

    He then went on to run his second race and in that 40-lapper, again scored a second place, runner up finish.

    “I’m really happy with how I did,” Gilliland said. “In the first race, I was mad that I fell back so far, but my car was really fast so I was able to get back up to the front pretty good.”

    “I’m just really thankful for all the help my mom and dad and Chris (Chris Lawson, crew chief) have given me.”

    “This is what I really want to do and it’s been awesome.”

    Todd Gilliland does indeed look to his family for his racing support, particularly when it comes to working on his car.  The eighth grader spends every minute possible working in the shop, which is located right at their home in North Carolina.

    “I try to do as much work on the car as I can,” Gilliland said. “I’m still learning about all that stuff.”

    “We got a new crew chief Chris Lawson and a bunch of guys helping on the car like my dad.”

    “I’m learning how to do everything just like my dad does,” Gilliland continued. “I get under there and help and learn how to do it.”

    “My favorite part is body stuff,” Gilliland said. “You always want to try to make it look nice. It’s fun to work with the metal.”

    “You can pick all the colors,” Gilliland continued. “Our car is black because, I don’t know, I like black. Some people like the bright colors but not me.”

    The youngest Gilliland celebrated his two runner up finishes with a relaxing weekend, watching his dad battle the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame’ at Darlington. His next race is in two weeks where he will return to Ace Speedway to yet again race those late models.

    Until then, Gilliland is looking forward to spring break from school as he and his family have special plans.

    “Spring break is in two weeks,” Gilliland said. “We’re going to Turks and Kakos. We’ve been there three or four times.”

    “We stay at Beaches and go surfing, snorkeling and sometimes we just relax by the pool,” Gilliland continued. “I’m looking forward to that for sure.”

    While Gilliland has no fear whatsoever at the track, he is just slightly worried about one event that is coming up in his young life.

    “School gets out like June 10th or something and I will go to high school next year when I graduate from eighth grade,” Gilliland said. “I’m a little bit nervous about high school, but I was nervous about middle school too and I loved it.”

    In addition to school, Gilliland is also busy drumming up support for his race team. He is grateful to several local companies, including Norfleet Developments, Country Chevrolet, Eibach Springs, Performance Racing Warehouse and Gear Tech that help out but he, like every other racer, is in search of sponsors.

    “I’m out there looking,” Gilliland said. “I think they should come and work with me.”

    And without a doubt, Gilliland’s finishes, including three consecutive runner-up finishes in his stock car career and a second place finish in a Limited Late Model race at Myrtle Beach Speedway last November, should definitely be attractive to some interested sponsor looking to bring a young talent to light.

    But for now, the youngster is just looking ahead to Spring Break and finishing the school year as he continues to learn and grow as a racer, following in his family’s footsteps toward the checkered flag.

    For more information about this young up-and-coming racer, follow him on Twitter @ToddGilliland or visit his website at www.ToddGilliland.com.