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11:50 a.m.: I swing by the NASCAR Cafe, the original site of the luncheon. Turns out it is indeed closed. Stunning, that - a NASCAR anything having trouble in Greensboro. Seems the closure has more to do with the sale of the chain than the quality of the food or the decor.

11:55 a.m.: I get to the Hooters on High Point Road. It's the new Hooters - I can't remember what used to be there (it wasn't Hooters) because I avoid that strip of urban hell whenever possible. The Martinsville pace car is out front - that's a good sign.

Noon: Mike Smith, the track's PR man, is there and greets me with an apology: "I've forgotten how loud a Hooters can be." Our table for 14 is right there in the middle of the restaurant, and the whole restaurant is wood and medal. A few other folks - Greg Kerr from the CBS affiliate and some radio folks are here. No sign of Fox 8 or the NBC affilate from Winston.

12:03 p.m.: Time to hit the bathroom. Wednesday's Sports section is tacked above the urinal. It's open to page C1 (the front) and C6 (the back) - we've got two NASCAR stories on the front page, and the weekly notes on the back page. I mentally pat myself on the back for having the foresight in hindsight to have done that.

12:05 p.m.: Panic time -- I realize that I have no idea what Gilliland looks like. He probably won't be wearing a fire suit, so that won't help.

12:06 p.m.: WFMY (the CBS crew) has a camera pointed at a guy in a black golf shirt and jeans who's leaning up against the Martinsville pace car. That must be Gilliland. All he needs is a cell phone strapped to his belt, and he'd look like half the people in the restaurant.

12:09 p.m.: I'm sitting down, and someone kicks my chair. Hey! It's that David Gilliland guy! Mike Smith introduces him to the gang ("in case you don't recognize him"). He sits down next to me and shakes hands all around.

12:10 p.m.: One of the guys from WTQR-FM (104.1 - they're the local MRN affiliate) gives Gilliland, who has yet to race at Martinsville, some advice: "Eat as many Martinsville hot dogs as possible. They're the best." Discussion about Martinsville hot dog ensues. Gilliland, the California native, orders a sweet tea.

12:12 p.m.: Gilliland starts taking questions. Yes, he's excited about racing at Martinsville. No, he hasn't seen a lot of the tracks coming up on the Busch schedule. Yeah, it stunk getting that pit-road speeding penalty at Chicagoland. ("It was spin out or speed -- I almost spun out.") Billy Wilburn, his crew chief, "is a great guy." Someone (I don't have it in my notes) reminded everyone that Wilburn used to be Rusty Wallace's crew chief, which bodes well for Martinsville. Gilliland says he's got Travis Carter's old shop in Statesville. ("That's a great shop.") Gilliland said he moved to Mooresville about six months ago. ("I like it a lot.") More idle chit-chat ensues - it's either the heat or the wings, but no one feels much like talking.

12:16 p.m.: I notice there's a race on some of the restaurant TVs. Maybe it's a tape of Gilliland's Kentucky win? Nope - it's a recent ARCA race. I can tell when an onboard camera looks out over the hood of Frank Kimmel's Pork-the-other-white-meat-mobile.

12:17 p.m.: Well, heck, I guess I'd better ask a question. The best I can come up with: When did you think you were going to win the Kentucky race? Gilliland said on the last pit stop, his crew put his car back to where it was when he started the race. He was picking off cars one after the other. When he got past Denny Hamlin, Gilliland said he was thrilled to be in front ... until his spotter said "P2," which means Gilliland was in second. Turns out that JJ Yeley was so far in front that Gilliland couldn't see him. One more caution closed the gap (though Gilliand said he would have caught Yeley without a yellow -- "it was just a matter of time") and that was that.

12:20 p.m.: Now that I've got his attention:
Got a full-time Busch sponsor yet? Nope, he's talking to some folks.
Got a Cup ride for 2007 yet? Nope, he's talking to a couple of folks.
What about a ride with a Cup development team? Nope, not really interested in that. "I've been doing that out west for 10 years." I had forgotten that Gilliland just turned 30 in April -- that's ancient for most sports, but not so old in racing.

12:25 p.m.: I'm officially out of questions, and Gilliland goes outside with Mike Smith. (I was never great at these kind of events - I'd rather watch how the interview subject reacts to what's going around him.)

12:30 p.m.: Johnny Buck, the sports editor of the Martinsville Bulletin, pulls up a chair. We talk shop for a while. He's a Martinsville native and one of the few out-of-staters who got into Chapel Hill.

12:50 p.m.: Across the table from me, Jerry Haislip, the longtime special events coordinator for Goody's Powder, starts telling stories. He was telling how David Pearson used to have a cigarette lighter in his car, and that Rex White used to burn one during caution periods. "I never could figure out when he lit that thing."

1 p.m.: A camera guy from Fox 8 finally shows. No sign of WXII-12, the NBC affiliate. (They never do show - strange considering that the Martinsville Busch race will be shown on NBC.)

1:05 p.m.: I grill Haislip on the business of stock car racing sponsorships. Interesting stuff, especially considering that Goody's has been in racing since, like, forever.

1:15 p.m.: Everyone heads back into the heat to get some "I'm really excited" quotes from Gilliland. His PR guy, who looks a little like Jeremy Mayfield, is hanging out, but he's not in the way. That's good. No one has yet asked Gilliland for an autograph.

1:30 p.m.: I head back to my car, and someone who saw the media mini-scrum asks me, "Who was that?"
"David Gilliland," I said. "Heard of him?"
"I think so," the guy said. "Once or twice."