The 14-year-old Gilliland's Podium Finish at Irwindale Speedway #nascar

Butch Gilliland, grandson Todd, and son David at Irwindale Speedway in California
(July 19, 2014 -Keith Birmingham Pasadena Star-News)

While local driver Jason Patison, was able to rocket away from runner-up Jack Madrid of San Clemente, Calif., following a restart with 17 laps remaining on the half-mile track of Irwindale Speedway to finish 2.1 seconds in front, the Gilliland family remained the packed crowd pleaser.

The three generations of Gilliland NASCAR Drivers, Grandfather Butch, Son David, and fourteen-year-old Grandson Todd, were competing against each other for the first time.

Of the Gilliland clan, Todd fared the best with a third-place podium finish in his noteworthy debut in a Super Late Model. The youngest Gilliland has raced Late Models in North Carolina; however Irwindale was a step up in horsepower and the competition level of the drivers.

“It was really cool,” he said. “I didn’t have high expectations because I was against a bunch of really experienced drivers. I’m super happy.”

NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver and delighted father, David Gilliland added “My son does a great job. We’re really proud of him.”

Butch Gilliland came out of a ten-year retirement to finish the race in a respectable fifth. The grandfather, who is fifty-seven years young, was a top driver in his NASCAR Winston West years starting in the 1980s and a former champion of the series.

“It was really nice,” the elder Gilliland stated, “We tested a couple of days. I didn’t put a whole bunch of laps on it, we have enough laps. The car was decent. It was good we three got to race against each other. It really was fun to race against my grandson. I really wish I’d had a whole better car, but it was still a lot of fun.”

What happened to the middle Gilliland? NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver David Gilliland, who grew up in southern California was running second when contact sent him into retirement after completing 30 laps.

“We had him (Partridge) cleared and I don’t know, somehow I got turned there at the start-finish line,” David Gilliland said. “Bummer, kind of an unfortunate way to end our night, but the car was real fast and we had a good time coming back here. It’s still my favorite racetrack to race on in the country. It was an honor to be a part of it and watch my son finish third and my dad go out and finish fifth. It’s just a lot of fun and good to be back home.

The three Gillilands impressed the race fans with their dedication to both family and the sport of racing.

Pick Your Part Super Late Models -75 laps
Race Results:

1. Jason Patison (Corona),
2. Jack Madrid (San Clemente),
3. Todd Gilliland (Sherrills Ford, N.C.),
4. Barry Karr (Redlands),
5. Butch Gilliland (Thailand),
6. Linny White (Highland),
7. Toni McCray (Highland),
8. Jeff Eschleman (Corona),
9. Kenny Smith (Bakersfield),
10. Josh Soto (Oceanside),
11. Jeff Williams (Newbury Park),
12. Greg Hanneman (Toluca Lake),
13. Ryan Partridge (Rancho Cucamonga),
14. David Gilliland (Sherrills Ford, N.C.),
15. Juan Garcia (Colombia),
16. Rodney Peacher (North Hills).

Three Generations Gilliland One Race

Three generations of one of southern California's favorite and best-known racing families will be on the track at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday night and they'll all be competing in the same race!

Butch, David, and Todd Gilliland - Grandfather, Father, Son Race

At the track known for family entertainment, July 19 at Irwindale will be family night for sure! Grandfather, son, and grandson: Butch, David, and Todd Gilliland will all suit up and report to their Pick Your Part Super Late Model rides when the call comes on Saturday night to fire off the first SLM 75-lapper of the year at Irwindale Speedway.

Grandpa: Butch Gilliland has not raced in a few years, but the winner of countless 'West series races, the series champ in 1997, and (still) the Irwindale track record holder for the fastest lap ever in that division, is excited about coming back to Irwindale, and particularly to be coming back to compete in a race with his son and grandson!

Son: David Gilliland has been keeping very busy on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit behind the wheel of the number 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford. David's first work in racing was as a young, 19 year-old crew chief for his father Butch when he was racking up all his race wins and that championship in the 'West races. His win in the Nationwide race at Kentucky in 2006 was a memorable one for all three of the Gillilands.

Grandson: At just 14, Todd Gilliland does not have (quite) the resume that his famous dad and granddad have, but he's already showing the same sort of spark that the two generations before him have exhibited. His May 2nd victory in the Limited Late Models at Ace Speedway in North Carolina came after only seven starts in the division. He'll be a freshman in high school this year.

This special Pick Your Part race has been opened up to all Super Late Model and Spears SRL Southwest Tour teams. All competitors will run under their respective rules, but all cars will be required to compete on the Irwindale-specified SLM Hoosier tire.

And, that sub-headline above with the line "family feud" laced in there ... that might be a little misleading ... this race within a race will be for family bragging rights at every family gathering from now right on through forever. The saga of "Which Gilliland finished where on the one and only night that ALL of them were not just at the same race, or racing on that same night, but when they were ALL IN THE SAME RACE", is sure to be the stuff of legends.

And if anyone, anywhere, thinks that Butch is going to take it easy on David or that David is going to let off on Todd ... think again my friend, this is racing. And now think about the 20+ other drivers out there running harder than hard with these three who all want the biggest chunk of that prize that they can get ... Tickets are available right now on-line at www.irwindaleeventcenter.com.

Thirteen-Year-Old Gilliland Earns Runner-Up Finish

Todd Gilliland - son of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Driver David Gilliland continues to impress.

He might not be old enough to get a North Carolina driver’s license, but 13-year-old Todd Gilliland is already showcasing his skills behind the wheel of a race car. The son of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Gilliland came within two car lengths of earning a win in just his third race in a stock car Sunday, finishing second in the Southeast Limited Late Models event at Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Speedway.

Gilliland started the 100-lap event in fifth after topping the speed charts in practice sessions earlier in the weekend. After initially slipping back to 13th, his No. 98 Performance Racing Warehouse/Superior Logistics Ford got more comfortable on the rough half-mile oval and started climbing through the field.

By Lap 58 he had pushed his way back into the top 10 and sat in eighth. And by Lap 79, he was battling it out three-wide for third place – a position that he won. Gilliland passed for second position with just seven laps to go and then set his sights on the leader.

A Lap 95 caution for a competitor in the wall put Gilliland’s final charge on hold until they could clear the track and prepare for a green-white-checkered finish. Restarting in second, he had two laps to try to catch Christian PaHud. He couldn’t overtake the leader, but he held back the rest of the field to finish second.

The eighth-grader at Mill Creek Middle School in Claremont, N.C., now has two top-10 finishes in just three late model starts since September. Gilliland just recently advanced to racing stock cars after winning the 2013 USAC World Formula National Quarter Midget Championship, winning races across the country from California to North Carolina.

“I’m loving racing these cars,” said the young racer. “It’s still new to me but I’m having a lot of fun. I can’t wait for next year to run more tracks and get more experience.”

He is the third generation of Gilliland racers, following his father, David, and grandfather, Butch, who also competed in the Cup Series.

“Our original plan was just to test Todd in the late model this year,” said David Gilliland. “But when we saw how quickly he took to it, we let him race. And I couldn’t be prouder of him. He’s showing maturity and patience that you don’t expect from a 13-year-old. He’s doing things already that took me 15 years to learn.”

Todd Gilliland Racing will now take time off for the holidays and prepare for a full season of late-model racing in 2014. Follow the team’s plans at ToddGilliland.com and on Twitter at @ToddGilliland_.