By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer

Todd Gilliland found his way at the front in the closing laps Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway.

His opportunity came when Front Row Motorsports opted for a two-tire call on his No. 34 Ford, which put Gilliland in fourth place.

And though the tire life started to fade and Gilliland fell to eighth place, two more caution flags benefited the fifth-year driver, as most of the leaders pitted with 14 laps to go.

That eased the tire difference for Gilliland, who maintained position and came home with a sixth-place finish.

“Even before that last caution with like 30 to go I was fairly content,” Gilliland said of his position. “You hate to say that as a driver, but for the day that we had, I was content.

“I’m proud of my crew chief, Chris (Lawson) with those calls. We were on the same page for two tires. Immediately when the caution came out, I said, ‘I think two tires or even stay out here.’”

“I’m thankful he didn’t let me stay out, but two tires was definitely the right call and I’m just really proud.”

The result was Gilliland’s best on a short track. And outside of a fourth and two sixths all occurring at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday’s result was his best on a non-superspeedway track.

The finish didn’t come easy after starting 35th on the day. The third-generation driver picked his way up through the field and took advantage of being on the lead lap with a timely caution.

“We weren’t great to start and that’s kind of how we were in practice,” he said. “But it seemed like when the groove moved up to the top for us, we were way better. It was like a different car.

“It’s a pretty awesome day for us. To recover from qualifying 35th at Bristol is tough to do, so, honestly, I’m just so proud of my team. We’ve got to work on qualifying. I think a lot of it is on me. That’s not a great feeling to have as a driver, but I’m so proud of our fight today.”