Todd Gilliland speaks out about racing for Front Row amid ongoing NASCAR lawsuit

The 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR remains ongoing as the 2025 Cup Series season begins with this Sunday’s Daytona 500.

For drivers of both teams, keeping the focus on the track can be challenging. But as things stand, it’s business as usual for the No. 34 Front Row team, Todd Gilliland told Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports in a sit-down interview.

Todd Gilliland said there is a little less unknown entering the 2025 season with the Front Row/23XI lawsuit going on against NASCAR. Gilliland said it is easy with social media to get distracted. @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/VOZnHnsZc6

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 11, 2025

“I think there’s a little bit less unknown now,” Gilliland said. “I think the injunction was probably a big thing to get back to focusing on racing, at least being around the shop, being around the Front Row employees — now that we can go to the racetrack as chartered teams — it feels like our business is going to be more as usual. So, that was the biggest thing to me, right. You try to sell that to the employees and keep everyone calm and focused, pushing in the right direction.

“But it’s very easy with social media to get very turned in a direction you don’t wanna be. That’s kind of been my objective all offseason is to keep everyone pointed in the right direction. And I feel like now at least to start the season, and things can change very quickly and all this, but at least for now I feel it’s business as usual for the race team, employees, drivers — everyone as far as that stuff goes.”

Todd Gilliland flying under the radar headed into 2025 season

23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin shared the same sentiment as Gilliland while addressing the lawsuit in a separate interview with Pockrass.

“Well, I think your performance on track is so indicative of the speed of your cars, how good is your pit crew, how well do you do as a driver — not anything that happens off the racetrack. So, I don’t see it being a factor at all,” Hamlin said. “If you talk to those in our 23XI race shop, it’s business as usual. We’re digging ahead and trying to win a championship over there and I’m trying to win a championship as a driver. Really, all the off-track stuff is for the attorneys and they’re handling.”

Gilliland, 24, is entering his fourth season with Front Row, albeit in a new seat. Gilliland will pilot the No. 34 car after Michael McDowell joined Spire Motorsports. McDowell took that car to the playoffs twice in seven seasons and following a season in which Gilliland finished 22nd in the points standings, competing for a playoff spot doesn’t appear to be off the table.