Gifford, Shell-Pennzoil Team Post Top-Five Finish at Tri-County
Hudson, N.C. – Ryan Gifford and his No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil crew posted another top-five finish at Tri-County (N.C.) Motor Speedway this past weekend.

Competing in the season-ending Late Model Stock feature, Gifford improved on a 10th-place qualifying effort to score a third-place result at the 4/10ths-mile asphalt track.

Gifford and his Team Dillon Racing crew stuck to their game plan of conserving their tires for the final laps. The 20 year-old Winston, Tenn.,-native said he “played the restart game,” working to put himself in position to restart in the outside lane every time there was a caution flag.

The outside lane is the preferred line around the banked track and restarting on the outside gives a driver a real advantage over those forced to restart on the inside.

The young driver displayed patience, while other competitors raced hard at the beginning of long runs, forcing them to put excessive wear on their tires.

In the end, the TDR bunch survived with their No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil car intact and another top-five result under their belts.

The race was won by Travis Swaim, while Gifford’s TDR teammate, Ty Dillon, finished sixth.

Gifford has the weekend off, but most of his crew is headed to New Hampshire Motor Speedway to assist Ty Dillon, who will be making his third career start in the NASCAR Camping World Series East.

Gifford’s next start in the NCWSE comes later this month at Dover International Speedway.

Ryan Gifford Quote: “We had another solid run this weekend. It’s critical to have a good car at the end, so I did my best to save my tires and get to the outside lane for restarts. I appreciate all the hard work the Team Dillon Racing guys put in, and a big thanks to Shell-Pennzoil for giving me the opportunity to do what I love.”