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Todd Gilliland leaves pit road with wedge wrench still in car, serves penalty

JHby:Jonathan Howard•04/07/24•

Jondean25

Todd Gilliland wedge wrench
Screenshot Credit: NASCAR on Fox via X

Pit stops going into Stage 2 at Martinsville did not go according to plan for the No. 38 team of Todd Gilliland. This NASCAR season has been solid for Gilliland, but this setback is going to cost him a bit.

The wedge wrench is how pit crews make adjustments. Loosen and tighten up the car. Todd Gilliland wanted an adjustment and it just didn’t pay off for him. With the wrench left in the car, Gilliland had to go back down pit road and to the rear of the lead lap cars.

This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it can sink a driver’s day.

Todd Gilliland led a lot of laps early this season. Between Daytona, Atlanta, and Phoenix, he was a common face at the front of the field. Since then, he has lacked speed but has shown improvement. In qualifying and during races, Gilliland is showing that he’s learned a thing or two in the last couple of seasons.

Front Row Motorsports is allied with Team Penske this season. The team is now a Tier 1 program with Ford Performance. Everything is trending upward for FRM and that two-car Cup Series program.

It will be tough to come back from this penalty, but Todd Gilliland has a little bit of speed at Martinsville. It is one of his better tracks. Don’t be shocked if he is able to move up through the field and into the top-15.

Todd Gilliland moving up through the field

To no surprise, Todd Gilliland found himself moving up in Stage 2. With a debris caution coming out in the stage, Gilliland was able to move up through the field and back into the top-20. He was running well and kept running well as the laps ticked away.

Ford is strong on the Martinsville track. There are a few Stewart-Haas Racing cars that are among the best in the field today. Chase Briscoe and Josh Berry are top-10 cars and if they can get the track position, could possibly win.

Ryan Preece has also been strong in the long run. Green flag runs are going to be common in this race. Track position is king once again. Tires are not wearing down. That will give teams a chance to jump positions on pit road with two tire stops.

This race has not been as exciting as the Truck or Xfinity Series races so far. Not a lot of action up front and not a ton of mistakes overall.