Rookie Gilliland to replace Sadler.

The unheralded David Gilliland, who shot to prominence thanks to his shock Busch Series victory at Kentucky Speedway earlier this year, has been named as the driver of Robert Yates' #38 Ford for this weekends race at Michigan.

The 30-year old Gilliland, who successfully qualified the #72 CJM Racing entry at Infineon Raceway earlier this year, won for part-time team Clay Andrews Racing in Kentucky in June in what was just his seventh career Busch Series start.

Gilliland now faces the daunting task of jumping into one of the most high profile rides in Nextel Cup racing with Yates' #38 M&M's backed team at the two-mile Michigan oval, a track where previous #38 driver Elliott Sadler scored two top ten finishes with the team.

Gilliland has been hotly tipped to take a drive at RYR for some time now and while no official announcement has been made, he looks set to take the drive in 2007.

Whether Gilliland completes the 2006 season with Yates or runs a limited number of races in order to preserve his rookie status for 2007 also remains to be seen.