Sunoco Pit Move of the Week: Talladega

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Brendan Gaughan nearly stole the EA Sports 500 thanks to a brave decision to stay out and run the final fourth of the race on just one tank of gas.

Gaughan benefited from a Lap 180 accident that ate up four laps under the caution flag, and probably gave Gaughan the gas he needed to retain track position.

Gaughan led late and hung on to finish fourth for his first top-five of the year.

"(Crew chief) Shane Wilson made a great call," said Gaughan. "They said, 'Do you want to roll it?' And I go, 'I am from Vegas. Let's go.'"

"We are not running for a championship and we just hung 'er out there."

Gaughan became just the fourth rookie to score a top-five in the fall Talladega event since 1975, and he nearly became the second rookie to win it.

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"I was trying to block the hell out of Kevin Harvick and I just didn't want to wreck," Gaughan said.

Harvick brought a train of cars when he passed Gaughan, but Gaughan drove up, got back into position and retained a spot with the leaders.

Wilson said the car never would have made it in the caution hadn't flown on Lap 180.

"We needed those caution laps," Wilson said. "We were at the end of the pack so we came in and packed it full of fuel. We packed it hard and probably stretched the cell a little bit."