Todd Gilliland Wins Knoxville Race In Truck Series Return

It will be a happy Father’s Day for team owner David Gilliland, as his team (David Gilliland Racing) won Saturday night’s (June 18) NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Knoxville Speedway with his son Todd Gilliland at the helm.

“I told [Todd] that all I wanted for Father’s Day was that trophy, and we’ll be taking it home on the plane with us.” David Gilliland told FOX Sports 1 after the race.

Now a Cup Series rookie, Todd Gilliland led 58 of the final 85 laps and held off John Hunter Nemechek in a four-lap shootout to score his third Truck Series victory in the one-off race; the win also marked the first start for his father’s team.

“This will make tomorrow a lot more fun,” Todd Gilliland said. “Just so amazing, man. Being in the Cup Series is tough, racing every single week. I had a million people ask me, ‘Is this what you really want to do on your off weekend?’ Absolutely. Nothing beats racing.”

Nemechek, Zane Smith, Ty Majeski and Stewart Friesen rounded out the top five.

Glass Half Empty

There always seems to be at least one bizarre moment in every race. And that moment came early in stage one, as the roof camera on Stewart Friesen’s No. 52 truck shattered into a hundred pieces after it was struck by a piece of debris.

Tires, fuel and adjustments weren’t the only services that the trucks received during the stage one red flag. FOX’s technical team visited Friesen’s truck and fitted it with and brand-new roof camera in time for the beginning of stage two.

Thank you for your service, unidentified camera. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.

oh no pic.twitter.com/cqeV0Ioiym

— NASCAR Camping World Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) June 19, 2022

Hocevar Dominates Stage 1, Stewart Friesen and Rhodes with Bad Breaks

Derek Kraus won the pole, but Carson Hocevar made quick work of him in the first two turns. Hocevar faced an early challenge for the lead from Ben Rhodes, but he held him off and the cruised to the stage one victory, leading all 40 laps in the process.

Rhodes ran in the top five for the first 30 laps, but he was forced to pit under caution in the middle of the stage after the truck overheated from a buildup of mud on the damaged grille. The repairs put him a lap down, and he would not get back on the lead lap until 33 laps to go.

Friesen began the race with his best performance on dirt since his first career win at Eldora Speedway in 2019. After running top five for the first 38 laps, Friesen started…