Concord, NC – David Gilliland, driver of the No. 02 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Joe Gibbs Racing, finished 25th tonight in the NASCAR BANKING 500 from Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
The No. 02 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota was making its debut tonight under the lights of Lowe’s Motor Speedway, rolling off the grid 14th. From the drop of the green flag it seemed as if it would be a very successful night for the Farm Bureau Insurance team, as it didn’t take long for David Gilliland to drive up to the 10th position in the running order.

“The Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota started out fast – right from the start. I mean, it was little snug in the center but overall I was able to make passes and it felt comfortable,” said David Gilliland.
The Farm Bureau Insurance team met their first challenge on the initial pit-stop, as a lug nut came off one of the wheels during the stop, which resulted in David having to restart in 24th. After the green flag fell again, David wasted little time making passes – moving from 24th to 15th in three laps. Unfortunately, like snapping your fingers, the handling on the No. 02 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota took a turn for the worse, as David fell out of the top-20 and a lap down before the next round of pit-stops could occur.

“I’m not sure what happened. We had a great Farm Bureau Toyota and then all of the sudden it wouldn’t turn and everyone was passing me,” said David Gilliland after the race.
The team would finally make a green flag pit-stop midway through the race and could’ve found what resulted in the car’s back slide. As a small hole was found in one of the Goodyear’s pulled from the Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota.

From that point on the Farm Bureau Insurance team fought a long battle to get back on the lead lap and to find the right adjustments for an ill-handling race car. The team continued to fight hard throughout the second half of the race and eventually came across the finish line in 25th.

“It’s frustrating, because I know we had a top-10 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota and the results definitely didn’t reflect how we could’ve finished tonight. Still, I’m proud of Wally (Brown) and the guys. We’ve barely had time to work together but they gave excellent effort throughout the night and I know we’ll be better heading into Texas,” said David Gilliland about tonight’s race.

Continue to watch for Farm Bureau Insurance Racing, as they debut on the No. 20 of Joey Logano next weekend at Martinsville Speedway for the TUMS Fast Relief 500 on October 25, 2009. More information can be found on the Web at www.farmbureauinsuranceracing.com.
About Farm Bureau Insurance: Farm Bureau Insurance was founded over 60 years ago. The Company is represented by over 4,200 Farm Bureau Insurance agents across 10 states, including Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. The family of Farm Bureau Insurance Companies offers full lines of auto, home and life insurance, as well as a host of other services.