Brendan Gaughan's best finish this season was a sixth at Martinsville. Credit: HSP/Jenna Wolford

Gaughan going for fifth Texas victory

A Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway used to be a foregone conclusion. Or a four Gaughan one, as in four wins for Brendan Gaughan.

However, after his fourth consecutive win in 2003, Gaughan's luck at the 1.5-mile oval has dried up quicker than a west Texas watering hole.

	Stats at a Glance Brendan Gaughan at Texas Year St. Fin. Status 2001 30 2 running 2002 10 1 running 2002 5 1 running 2003 5 1 running 2003 7 1 running 2005 30 27 running 2005 34 32 driveshaft

He wound up 27th in the spring race last year and a broken drive shaft left him 32nd in the fall.

"It's tough to go there with a little bit of insecurity and thinking that we're not as good as we used to be," Gaughan said. "In 2002 when we won, nobody expected us to win then either. So you never know.

"This team is resilient and the best truck that we can put on the track is going to be there."

After six wins and 18 top-10s in 2003, Gaughan's return to the trucks last season was a disappointing one. He led just 17 laps and failed to finish better than third.

Even though that winless streak has continued during the current season, Gaughan feels the problem is more a matter of catching some lucky breaks. The team has posted six consecutive top-20 finishes, including a sixth at Martinsville, since an engine problem sidelined Gaughan at Fontana.

"We're cautiously optimistic," he said. "We've been better than we were last year, every place we've gone. That's our goal.

Victory LaneMark Martin celebrates his third NCTS win of 2006 Race reactionCarl Edwards talks about trying to chase down Mark Martin Final lapsTeammates Martin, Edwards show the way in the closing laps Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

"With all the problems that the Orleans Racing team has had this year, we've got to look at the bright spot and that's our pit crew. If I can catch break on some of our calls and strategy, we'd be all right."

Gaughan believes a strong run at Lowe's Motor Speedway, where the No. 77 Dodge wound up 14th, is just the ticket for a resurgence in Friday night's Sam's Town 400.

It's the [truck] we ran at Charlotte and it ran good there," Gaughan said. "We just had a rough tire that we struggled with and we still finished 14th. We're hoping that we might be a little better at Texas. It's a similar style track and we have a lot of experience there."

Still, Gaughan longs for a return to his Lone Star dominance.

"It's tough because I love to go to Texas and my father loves to go there," Gaughan said. "We have a ranch just down the road and all the cowboys that are our buddies have been to the track with us.

"We're going to show up there and I'm going to have my cowboy hat and my cowboy boots and my Texas buckle and we're going to show our Texas pride."

The driver toughest to beat at Texas recently is points leader Todd Bodine, who has won two of the last three races there. However, transmission troubles left him 30th in this race last spring.

Thirty-eight drivers will be battling for spots in the 36-truck field, including three Texas natives: Robert Richardson, Blake Mallory and David Starr, who has finished third three times at the Fort Worth facility.