|
From Press Release
October 9, 2003
3:25 PM EDT (1925 GMT)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Brendan Gaughan (No. 62 Orleans Hotel Dodge) has every reason to consider Texas Motor Speedway "his" track.
He's won three consecutive races on the 1.5-mile superspeedway and will be gunning for an unprecedented fourth victory in Saturday's Silverado 350.
A little over one week ago, when the Las Vegas native rode a solid 72-point lead in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship standings, much of Gaughan's attention was on extending the streak and breaking the record he shares with Jack Sprague, who won three straight at Phoenix International Raceway in 1996-97.
Now, with the lead cut to just 20 points with four races remaining, Gaughan doesn't just want the victory -- he needs it.
"Hopefully we'll come back and have a stellar week in Texas," said Gaughan, following a 15th-place finish in last week's John Boy & Billy 250 at Big Daddy's South Boston Speedway. The day ended a nine-race run, beginning with a victory in St. Louis, during which Gaughan finished in the top five eight times.
Although those finishes are history now, Gaughan believes he can create some new history this week.
Gaughan's family owns the Rocking K Ranch (named after sister Katy) a few miles from Texas Motor Speedway, and considers the track just as much a home venue as Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Winning there isn't just anything; it's everything.
"I don't want to embarrass my daddy," said Gaughan.
And he hasn't done that since finishing second in his first look at TMS in June 2001.
The driver's father, Michael, whose varied business interests include raising bucking horses, owns Orleans Racing. Gaughan's mother, Paula, and his sister are prominent in cutting horse circles.
"All of that has to do a lot with Texas," said Gaughan. "Katy's friends ask, 'Is that (driver) your brother?' They get to their world and to hear that makes them proud."
Gaughan, a varsity basketball player at Georgetown University, had a brief fling with horses -- very brief.
"I rode a saddle bronc, like twice," he said. "I'm glad I stuck with racing."
So far, Texas Motor Speedway is a horse from which Gaughan hasn't been thrown. He's not sure why, except to say that all the ingredients are there -- truck, engine, team and experience -- to mix a winning recipe.
"We've thought and scratched our heads a lot about it but we don't have any one magic thing to explain how well we've done," said Gaughan, while noting the importance of engine builder Kevin Kroyer, who has produced a balance of horsepower and fuel economy.
Beyond that, said Gaughan, it's a matter of his own confidence.
"The biggest thing besides having a great truck is fate," he said. "You have to believe in everything that's been done before you strap in the seat. I have faith in my team."
NEWS & NOTES, PART II
There's never been a closer battle among the top two and top four championship contenders at this stage of the season. Gaughan leads Travis Kvapil (No. 16 IWX Motor Freight Chevrolet) by 20 points (previous closest 26 in 1998). The blanket covering Gaughan, Kvapil, Ted Musgrave (No. 1 Mopar Performance Dodge) and Dennis Setzer (No. 46 ACXIOM/Computer Associates Chevrolet) is 74. This chart shows the five closest races, first to fourth, with four events remaining (* won championship) :
Year Leader Difference between 1st and 4th
2003 Brendan Gaughan 74
2001 Jack Sprague 132
2002 Mike Bliss 169
1999 Greg Biffle 185
1997 Jack Sprague 296
Regardless of the outcome of the Oct. 18 Advance Auto Parts 250 at Martinsville Speedway, Setzer will be crowned this year's series short track king. Setzer added a South Boston victory to a list that already counted wins at Mesa Marin Raceway and Martinsville Speedway. The Newton, N.C. veteran's average short track finish in 2003 is 3.429.
The Silverado 350 will mark consecutive start No. 170 for Rick Crawford (No. 14 Circle Bar Motel & RV Ford), matching Jack Sprague's series record (Feb. 5, 1995 to Nov. 3, 2001). Crawford's first NASCAR Craftsman Truck start came on Jan. 19, 1997 at Walt Disney World Speedway. Kvapil's second-place finish at South Boston was his 17th-consecutive top 10 of the season, one fewer than the 18 recorded by Ron Hornaday Jr. in 1996.
The Silverado 350 has been won by four different drivers -- Jay Sauter, Bryan Reffner, Kvapil and Gaughan. Reffner and Kvapil were first-time winners. Eleven TMS races have produced nine winning drivers -- the most winners at a single track and a feat matched in June at The Milwaukee Mile.
David Starr (No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet) celebrates his 36th birthday on Saturday. Starr, a Houston native, has finished third three times at Texas Motor Speedway. ... Last September's Silverado 350 was the series' fastest in Texas at 137.736 mph until Gaughan bettered that effort with a winning average of 140.621 June 6. ... Ultra Motorsports, ranked No. 2 all-time with 29 series wins, has fielded a combined 16 entries at Texas Motor Speedway without a victory. The team's best finish is second, by Mike Wallace, in the 2000 O'Reilly 400K. Musgrave and Andy Houston (No. 2 Team ASE Racing/Carquest Dodge) will try again Saturday. ... The 1999 Silverado 350 had the most finishers of any series event at TMS -- 27. ... Crawford and Terry Cook (No. 29 Power Stroke Diesel/Oil Mate Ford) are the only competitors to start all 11 series races at Texas.
ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Championship rivals count five victories at TMS ... Gaughan and Kvapil's Texas successes have been noted, while Setzer's 1998 O'Reilly 400K victory was the first by Dodge on a superspeedway. Musgrave's best finish, however, is fifth among four top-10 efforts. He has also led four races.
QUOTEBOOK
"It's a wish I know I've made a million times while I was blowing out the candles on every birthday cake since I was a kid in Houston." -- David Starr, about winning a race in his home state of Texas.
"Hopefully I can bring some good luck. This team has had some really good trucks at Texas but for whatever reason they haven't gotten the finishes reflective of how they've run." -- Andy Houston on ending Ultra Motorsports' string of misfortune in Texas. Houston finished second in his first appearance at TMS in 1998.
"This has been a hard-fought season and it's not over yet. I know Matt and the No. 88 Team are as solid as they come, and they are going to be digging hard to get by us." -- Chad Chaffin, No. 18 Dickies Dodge, on his battle with Matt Crafton (No. 88 Menards/Enzyme Magic Chevrolet) for the final top-10 spot in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship standings.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Just two of five NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champions -- Jack Sprague and Greg Biffle -- have been able to win at Texas Motor Speedway. Each won in his championship season, Biffle in 2000 and Sprague a year later. Sprague, No. 2 all-time in races won, didn't find victory circle at TMS until his seventh start in June 2001.
|
