The 2024 Ambetter Health 400 threw curve balls at some of the most experienced Cup Series drivers like never before. From Brad Keselowski’s misfortune to Denny Hamlin’s misery-inducing trifecta, there were a number of veterans who got a taste of how unforgiving the reformulated Atlanta Motor Speedway can be. So if the sport’s most fierce competitors are facing such difficulty, one can only imagine how the newer faces on the grid must have been feeling through the entire ordeal. While Todd Gilliland isn’t all that new to the Cup Series, this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway gave the rising star such a big scare that he even equated it to a haunted house people often see at carnivals.

Todd Gilliland gets the true taste of the Ambetter Health 400!

Heading into the 2024 Ambetter Health 400, Todd Gilliland was already shaping up to be one of the top contenders after leading 16 laps at the Daytona 500. While that story ended in misery after a late wreck collected him, Atlanta proved to be an even better run in the early stages. Gilliland led the most number of laps of the race with 58 under his belt and was also challenging veterans such as Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski.

Unfortunately, another late incident would wreck Gilliland’s hopes of a good finish. Keeping in with all the chaos that was ensuing, Gilliland also shared a rather fitting description of how the Ambetter Health 400 had unfolded. In the latest edition of FOX: NASCAR’s ‘Radioactive’, Gilliland could be heard sharing his fears over the radio as he entered another caution restart.

Gilliland stated, “It’s like going to a haunted house. It’s like fun but I’m also scared for my life at the same time.” Almost predicting his fate, the son of veteran driver David Gilliland had once again fell victim to fate after delivering a stellar performance. Evidently, Gilliland was distraught after it was all over, sharing how the results had failed to reflect his progress.

He stated, “My car was really fast. We’ve shown that in the last couple of weeks. Just the progress from my team. Right at this moment, it definitely feels like a huge missed opportunity.” While Gilliland lost track position late into the race, what ultimately sealed his misfortune was the damage to his toe link rod after the big wreck had collected him. He concluded, “I feel like I made a lot of good moves, but obviously the one at the end where it all counts, I didn’t.”

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While it’s safe to say Todd Gilliland’s fears of wrecks and haunted houses intertwined at the Ambetter Health 400, the Front Row Motorsports driver has quickly shown his ability this season, and will soon look back on such events with fondness for sure.

Despite poor finishes at superspeedway weekends, Gilliland shows great promise after getting familiar with leading

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On one hand, Gilliland’s 26th-place finish at the Atlanta Motor Speedway doesn’t speak volumes of the driver’s development, but on the other, the laps-led stats certainly do. While Gilliland’s lead shenanigans in the Daytona 500 for 17 laps were definitely notable, his outright dominance in the Ambetter Health 400’s early stages showcased great promise. Speaking of which, Gilliland shared how his confidence has been through the roof lately.

Reflecting on his close encounters with the likes of Martin Truex Jr, Logano and Keselowski, the 23-year-old was quoted by motorsport.com, as saying, “In my heart, I definitely believe that I can do it with those guys week-in and week-out. Our car was really fast. I was making really aggressive moves, but really in control the whole time.” The FRM driver felt that his ability to gain self-confidence faster would result in the drivers surrounding him putting more trust in Gilliland’s hands.

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With that said, Gilliland concluded by sharing his ambitions for the season; “We’ve just got to keep doing that and hopefully the better runs will come more consistently, and I race up front with those guys more and more.” Not only will the FRM driver be hoping to continue his journey to the front in coming races, but it will now also be essential for Gilliland to develop his survival instinct if he wants to finish strong too.