David Gilliland was born April 1st, 1976 in Riverside California and he is the son of the former Cup driver Butch Gilliland. Like most offspring of racers, Gilliland was almost always on the race tracks and when he was old enough, he became part of his father's AutoZone West Series team. By the time he was 19, he was the crew chief and the next year, he became Champion Crew Chief of the Year as his dad also managed to get the Winston West Championship for his collection at home.
Gilliland was able to divide his time between playing both crew chief and trying his hand out at the driver's seat. In 1999, he won the track championship at Perris Auto Speedway with two flags in the stock car division. He went on to win 14 races and 9 main events. He took on the next year with a limited season in the NASCAR AutoZone West Series. He emerged victorious twice that season and won his first regional race in his fourth start at the NASCAR Southwest Tour. The next season, he won 5 wins and finished top-10 in the standings point wise.
Gilliland tried out in the major league NASCAR race in 2003 but was not able to qualify. He his Busch career that season as well but unfortunately was involved in a crash which resulted in a 43rd place finish. He was unlucky the third time when he decided to try a Phoenix race but came in 43rd yet again due to some ignition issues. He went on to run in the Craftsman Truck Series and came in 22nd. In 2004, he decided to race full time in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series. He grabbed his first AutoZone West win at Mesa Marin Raceway. This was an especially special victory for him because it was in his home city. He was awarded the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series Rookie of the Year title and he also took back with him two victories in the NASCAR AutoZone elite Division , Southwest Series.
In 2005, he entered the Grand National Division and won the Toyota All-Star Showdown the same year after the winner was disqualified. This win was particularly important to Gilliland as it garnered the interest of some Busch and Cup owners. Because Gilliland was so adamant to take part in the North Carolina races, he moved there hoping to catch a race in the top-three series. It turned out to be an excellent career move as he went on to win his first career victory at the Busch Series in Kentucky. He was the first driver in 2006 to win a Busch race without running the NEXTEL cup schedule.
After attempting the Infineon Raceway and coming in 32nd, Gilliland went to qualify on the pole for the UAW Ford 500. This would be the first in his career. His second would be at the Daytona 500 with a 28th finish in NEXTEL Cup points. It comes to show that one does not have to be a full time driver to be a Busch Series champion.
When he isn't racing, Gilliland enjoys taking his family out on boating trips at the lake to relax. It is also surprising to note that Gilliland's favorite athlete is Tiger Woods and the two used to play golf in high school together. He would talk about how he admired the persistence that Tiger Woods channeled into golf and he turned that passion into gold. That admiration he turned into his own motivation and he approaches racing the same way his old high school golf team mate approaches golf.
