My Favorites with Todd Gilliland

Todd Gilliland may be a NASCAR Cup Series rookie, but the 21-year-old racer walks around with the understanding of how to chase checkered flags. The California native grew up racing and watching his father, David Gilliland, compete at NASCAR’s highest level. Now, it’s his turn to shine, and it’s time for fans to get to know Todd away from the track.

BY JOSEPH WOLKIN

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE VACATION SPOT?

WE WERE IN THE

Bahamas in December. I’m pretty sure that place tops it all for me with the blue water.

WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING IF YOU WEREN’T A RACE CAR DRIVER?

I JUST GOT INTO

XBOX pretty hard. I’ve been watching streamers, so maybe I’d take my shot at being a professional streamer.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GO-TO DRINK?

PEOPLE ALWAYS

make fun of me for this. I was just at a big sponsor event and I ordered a Shirley Temple. It’s just hard to beat a good Shirley Temple. It reminds me of being young and tastes really good.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?

MY FAVORITE

food is definitely a nice steak. I just had my first tomahawk a few months ago. Nothing beats a good steak.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF RACING MEMORABILIA?

MY HELMETS. I

take a lot of pride in how they look. I’m really involved in the design process of them. They’re my favorite decoration. I have helmets all over the house.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?

“DAYS OF

Thunder.” It’s all about racing and I know every word to it. I just love the racing part of it.

Bell: ‘Pretty Much Love at First Sight’

BY JARED TURNER

Growing up around dogs, Christopher Bell has never had anything against canine pets. But about four years ago when his wife mentioned wanting a dog, Bell – who was then a full-time driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series – didn’t exactly jump at the idea.

“I love dogs but with our crazy schedule and traveling all the time, I didn’t really think a dog was the right call,” said Bell, who is now entering his third season at the NASCAR Cup Series level. “She found this dog on the internet, and she fell in love with it and then begged me to go see it. Once I saw it, it was pretty much love at first sight, and we couldn’t say no to it.”

The Bells’ dog, Sadie, is a female Poochon – a cross between a Bichon Frise and a Poodle. She weighs only six pounds.

“She was the runt of the litter,” Bell said.

Although training a puppy presented some challenges, Bell has no buyer’s remorse when it comes to Sadie, whom he describes as “very, very lovable.”

“She is wonderful,” Bell added. “Luckily, Sadie caught on quick to the potty training, and it wasn’t that big of a deal. It’s been awesome.

“The potty training was the only part that I was nervous about. Traveling has been a little bit more difficult, but she is so small, so she can typically go with us into places.”