Conway out, Gilliland in top-35 after Richmond

[TeamBlueOval]

33) #7-Gordon/RGM/BAM: 800, +47
34) #34-Kvapil/Front Row: 792, +39
35) #37-Gilliland/Front Row: 769, 16 points ahead of 36th
--------Below this line must qualify on time--------
36) #38-Conway/Front Row: 753, 16 points out of 35th

~Jayski~


So, what are the odds that FRM put Conway/Extenze back on the 37 car and gives Gilliland the "must qualify on time" ride back?

Looks like they are firmly planting themselves on the outside looking in. Looks like only 2 of the 3 FRM cars will make the top-35 this year.

[JiggaStyles09]

i really don't know what the deal is with him......i mean he obviously is not ready for cup level but he's been givin a great opportunity to develop. if he has to make it on time, it's not gunna be a good result as he's always well off the pace. i can't fault him really though as he has managed to keep out of trouble & hasn't tore up any race cars (that i've heard about). i think it would make the most sense to keep switching his car # with travis or david to keep him in the top-35.

what i'm curious about is whether the team has faith that he will eventually make the transition to run on his own & how much time is needed to get to that level. he obviously has some sort of deal with extenze i just don't know the details of it. also i wonder if travis & david are getting tired of having to save him from the bubble because it's really not fair to the both of them to keep doing all the work.

[yatesracing]

i really don't know what the deal is with him......i mean he obviously is not ready for cup level but he's been givin a great opportunity to develop. if he has to make it on time, it's not gunna be a good result as he's always well off the pace. i can't fault him really though as he has managed to keep out of trouble & hasn't tore up any race cars (that i've heard about). i think it would make the most sense to keep switching his car # with travis or david to keep him in the top-35.

what i'm curious about is whether the team has faith that he will eventually make the transition to run on his own & how much time is needed to get to that level. he obviously has some sort of deal with extenze i just don't know the details of it. also i wonder if travis & david are getting tired of having to save him from the bubble because it's really not fair to the both of them to keep doing all the work.

Has he switched Travis. I thought he switich w/ David. David is a good qualifying. Most of the times, he will get the car in. He is fast. One thing I have notice with David he can get his car up there but just has a problem keeping it there. Most of the times, it's not even his fault. I thought maybe going 400 to 500 miles might be the reason.

[TeamBlueOval]

I think the deal with Extenze is the only thing that is keeping him in that ride. He has been so FAR off the pace EVERY week--always LAST in nearly every practice session and everything. He has got to pick it up...

[JiggaStyles09]

since it's apparent their going to keep switch #s i wonder how long their going to keep that up

[RacingDude]

I agree that it's not fair to Travis and David to keep doing all that work to get a car back in the top-35 that Conway dropped out. I can't recall any driver taking to the Cup Series this slow. If he's THIS far off the pace every week, he needs to just race full-time in Nationwide until he gathers enough seat time to drive halfway competitive in Cup.

[JiggaStyles09]

i remember that he drove NW in '09 in i think the 87 toyota. i still have no idea how he got into cup because he was just an OKAY driver in NW, nothing special. to get a chance with a cup ride still baffles me.

[TeamBlueOval]

I can tell you exactly how he got this Cup ride -- he brought MONEY from Extenze. How did he get that sponsorship? My best guess is that he is the only driver willing to wear that logo all over his uniform!

[yatesracing]

i can tell you exactly how he got this cup ride -- he brought money from extenze. How did he get that sponsorship? My best guess is that he is the only driver willing to wear that logo all over his uniform!

rotflmbo

[roosterrage]

Hahaha, very true Andrew. Conway was over 2mph slower than the next slowest car last week in Richmond- 2 mph! They most definitely will swap Conway into Gilliland's ride and David will have to qualify in again.

[TeamBlueOval]

Here is the official word -- Conway back to the 37, Gilliland to the 38 and must qualify on time

Gilliland and the Taco Bell sponsorship (team owner Bob Jenkins owns Taco Bell franchises) will move to the No. 38 car while Kevin Conway, who has the Extenze sponsorship, will move from the No. 38 to the No. 37 car.

Conway started the season in the No. 37 but when that car fell out of the top 35, he moved to the No. 38. Now that Gilliland has gotten the No. 37 back into the top 35, Conway gets that ride and points position and Gilliland is back in the No. 38.

The owner standings, which determine the 35 cars that are guaranteed spots in the field, stay with the car number and not the driver. During the season, an organization typically is not allowed to trade the owner points among its cars but is allowed to move drivers into different car numbers to take advantage of guaranteed spots.

The three Front Row Motorsports cars are 34th, 35th and 36th in owner points, with the No. 38 car the one outside the top 35 – 16 points behind the No. 37 car and 39 points behind the No. 34 car (Travis Kvapil).

So Gilliland, in the No. 38, will be one of the 11 drivers vying for eight spots in the field.

~SpeedTV.com~