Todd Gilliland signs Front Row extension to stay in No. 34 for 2027

NXTbets Pro | Published On: July 18, 2026

Gilliland extension secures

Front Row Motorsports locked in Todd Gilliland for 2027, keeping him in the No. 34 Cup Series Ford and in the team’s three-car operation. The move gives the organization continuity with a driver who has grown inside its system and moved up through each level of its program. Gilliland, 26, signed the contract extension after spending his career with Front Row’s camp in both the Truck Series and the Cup Series. The announcement ties him to the same organization that gave him his first full-time opportunity in NASCAR’s national ranks and then promoted him into its top-level ride.

Gilliland’s path with Front Row started in the 2020 Craftsman Truck Series, where he spent two seasons in the No. 38 Ford. He delivered one win in that stretch and made the Truck Series playoffs in both seasons. That run established him as one of the group’s key young drivers and set up his move to the Cup Series in 2022. Front Row later opened a seat when Michael McDowell left for Spire Motorsports, and Gilliland took over the ride last year. The extension now keeps that partnership intact through 2027 and extends a run that has already covered multiple steps in the same organization.

Front Row path

Gilliland’s history with Front Row gives the extension extra weight. He did not arrive as a one-off hire or a short-term stopgap. He came through the team’s development ladder, spent two years in its Truck program and advanced when the Cup opportunity opened. That kind of progression fits the way Front Row has built its roster, and Gilliland’s new deal keeps one of its homegrown drivers in place as the organization continues to field three cars.

His Truck Series stay was productive from the start. Racing the No. 38 Ford, he won once and reached the playoffs in both of his seasons there. Those results showed steady progress and gave Front Row a driver it could keep moving up. The jump to Cup followed in 2022, and the team eventually put him into the No. 34 car after McDowell’s departure created an opening. The extension confirms that Front Row sees him as part of its long-term picture, not just a temporary occupant of the seat.

The timing also matters because Gilliland has spent the past few seasons learning and settling into the Cup level with the same group that developed him. That continuity matters in a series where driver-team chemistry carries real value. Front Row now keeps a driver who knows its people, its cars and its expectations. Gilliland keeps a ride that has been his path upward since he joined the organization. The agreement preserves that connection and gives both sides another season to build on it.

Cup Series production

Gilliland has shown progress in Cup, and the numbers back it up. His career-best points finish came in 2024, when he ended the season 22nd. He followed that with five top-10 finishes in 2025 in the No. 34 car. This season has been tougher, but he still has one top-10 through 20 races. His best finish so far is sixth at Bristol Motor Speedway, and he stood 24th in the Cup Series points standings through 20 races. Those results put his season in context. He has had flashes of speed, and he has already shown he can put together strong runs in Front Row equipment.

The extension arrives with Gilliland still in the middle of that climb. He has already proven he can win at the Truck level and make the playoffs there. He has also shown enough pace in Cup to deliver top-10 results and push his way up the standings. Front Row’s decision keeps that development inside its own program, where Gilliland has already spent years learning the team’s approach. It also preserves a driver lineup that gives the organization stability as it continues to compete with three cars.

For Gilliland, the new contract means another chance to keep building with the same team that brought him into NASCAR’s national spotlight. He has gone from Truck prospect to Cup regular inside one organization, and Front Row is betting on more growth from the same driver who started with it in 2020.