Bill McAnally Racing and driver Todd Gilliland are expanding their horizons for 2017 with a program to run the full schedules in both the East and West divisions of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.
Gilliland will be in his second season behind the wheel of BMR’s No. 16 Toyota Camry as they tackle the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West next season.
Gilliland – a 16-year-old California native who resides in Sherrills Ford, North Carolina – is coming off a sensational rookie season with BMR in which he won the championship in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.
“This is a great opportunity to take the next step in my racing career,” Gilliland said. “We want to build on the success we had in the 2016 season.
“It’s a big move to compete for points in both divisions,” he said. “I look forward to the challenge and I’m thankful to BMR, NAPA, Toyota and our other great partners for making this happen.”
Gilliland had a record-setting rookie season in 2016 in which he became the youngest champion in the history of the series, at 16 years 5 months old, as well as establishing a record as the youngest champion in any NASCAR national or touring series. He also won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award and the pole award for 2016.
“We had a remarkable year with Todd in his rookie season,” said BMR President Bill McAnally, who has won a record seven championships as a car owner in the K&N West. “Expanding our program to take on both divisions in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series is aimed at continuing his development.
“Competing in the K&N East and K&N West also expands the scope for our corporate partners. We’re grateful to them for their continued support. We could not do this without them.”
Gilliland and his BMR team – which is based in Roseville, California – raced in five K&N East races in 2016. In 2014 and 2015, BMR had separate teams compete full time in each division. Their 2017 program will mark the first season for a single BMR driver to race the full schedule in both divisions.
In addition to being the youngest champion in the series, Gilliland holds the record as the youngest race winner in the series. At the age of 15 years 5 months 28 days, he won his series debut at Phoenix in the season finale for 2015. He also became the youngest winner in the history of the ARCA racing series, capturing a victory just two days after his 15th birthday.
