Texas is a four Gaughan conclusion

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Brendan Gaughan made NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history Saturday, winning his fourth consecutive race at Texas Motor Speedway Saturday to extend his championship lead over second-finishing Travis Kvapil.

	Brendan Gaughan celebrates in Victory Lane. Credit: Nate Mecha/HSP

Gaughan, driving the Orleans Hotel Dodge, overcame the handicap of a rear-of-the-field start -- the penalty for a post-practice engine change. Leading three times for 60 of the race's 146 laps, Gaughan took command on the 104th time around the 1.5-mile superspeedway, passing Rick Crawford off Turn 2.

The victory, worth $60,630, was Gaughan's sixth of the season (and eighth of his career) at an average speed of 122.727 mph.

"We're going to put this truck in a museum or something,'' Gaughan said. "The truck works high, it works long. It's just an amazing truck.''

It was the sixth win of the season for Gaughan, who extended his season points lead from 20 to 30 points over Kvapil with three races left. Half of Gaughan's eight career wins are on the 1 1/2-mile Texas track.

"This is awesome, four in a row. Thank you Texas,'' Gaughan said.

Gaughan's fourth TMS victory broke his series tie with Jack Sprague, winner of three straight races at Phoenix International Raceway in 1996-97.

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Kvapil, also a rear starter after a happy hour accident damaged his IWX Motor Freight Chevrolet beyond repair, brought his backup mount to second at lap 133.

The finish was Kvapil's 18th consecutive top-10 performance, matching Ron Hornaday Jr.'s 1996 single season mark.

Ted Musgrave, No. 3 in the championship standings, finished third in the Mopar Performance Dodge to fall 73 behind Gaughan.

Rookie Carl Edwards was fourth in the Superchips Ford with Bud Pole winner Andy Houston overcoming a lap 98 spin on the backstretch to salvage fifth in the Team ASE Racing/Carquest Dodge.

Jon Wood, Terry Cook, Dennis Setzer, Rick Crawford and Bobby Hamilton completed the top 10 -- all but Hamilton on the lead lap.

Seven drivers exchanged the lead 14 times - the latter number one short of the series mark at TMS.

There were six caution periods consuming 29 laps.