Posted on by Holly Cain

With his rookie stripes off, Wallace Jr. has a new focus for this season — winning

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Dressed in jeans and skateboard shoes while sporting a full beard and a big grin, 20-year-old Darrell Wallace Jr. sat way back in his director’s chair to get comfortable as he conducted interview after interview during NASCAR’s Sprint Media Tour last week in Charlotte.

The fun-loving, easy-going Wallace has proven a popular subject among the press contingent — his personality and performance providing plenty to write about. And as he spoke in his distinctive Alabama drawl to reporters about his desire to find the fun again in racing after a high-stress, high-expectation rookie season in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series, Wallace looked quite content.

But he’s not — in a good way.

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Sure, he’s reminded daily of his historic maiden NASCAR victory at Martinsville, Va., last October thanks to the grandfather clock the track gives its winners. It’s one of the sport’s most iconic trophies and certainly a prize possession.

But the way Wallace sees it, the clock’s ticking.

"Hard not to (think about the win), when I wake up every day and walk into the living room of my apartment and there’s a clock sitting there," said Wallace, whose victory made him the first African-American driver to win a NASCAR national race in half a century.

"It’s pretty cool. The first couple days I was cleaning it, making sure the time was right, the chimes were working but now, I got a little lazy and need to wind that back up.

"I still like to look at it and live off it, but it’s time for a new win, no matter where it’s at."

Wallace will return to the Truck Series in 2014, again driving the No. 54 Toyota Tundra for Kyle Busch Motorsports, but this year feeling championship caliber after ranking eighth last year in the standings.

He had 12 top-10s in 22 races, five top-fives and a pole at Dover to complement his Martinsville victory.

The historic tag that accompanies Wallace’s win is simultaneously a source of much pride and a heaping of expectations — a lot for any 20-year-old to absorb and live out. But this is Wallace’s current reality and he has embraced it. At some point, he hopes to win so much that historic reference isn’t necessary.

"That (his race) can be played out too much, but again, who else is out there?" Wallace said. "It’s got to be played to a certain extent and I’ve got to carry that. I am a little bit darker than everyone else in the field.

"It’s something we’re trying to change and NASCAR is as a whole trying to bring in a younger fan base, a different-looking fan base, we’re trying to change the whole demographic of the sport. Me going out to do that is something I’ll take responsibility for."

But it wasn’t so much history and headlines he is focused on during the offseason. Wallace said he spent less time reliving the successes of his first year in NASCAR’s big leagues and more time analyzing the times he fell short — the three races he crashed out of, the multiple opportunities to win he did not capitalize on.

And Wallace came to a firm conclusion. He pushed too hard and changed his approach. He forgot to enjoy.

"The truck series is so spread out, I had a few days to schlep around and mope around then my parents finally got tired of it and said, ‘you need to shape up and change your attitude,’ " Wallace recalled. "And that really hit home.

"I finally said, ‘I get it.’ I had put fun at the bottom of the list and put too much pressure on myself. I’ve already got 10,000 more eyes on me because I am of color and they’re going to see what I can do in the top series.

"That’s enough pressure in itself, so I don’t need to add extra pressure. I need to go out there and run my own race, and have fun with it."

It was the approach that helped him do well enough in the developmental ranks to earn a seat at KBM and under the Joe Gibbs Racing umbrella, which is where Wallace hopes his future lies.

He’d like to add a few Nationwide Series events to his truck schedule considering he reeled off top-10 finishes in the first three of four NNS starts in 2012 and won the pole at Dover, Del., in his fourth race.

The results have backed up the promise in every situation, yet Wallace is still facing the same sponsorship problems so many other aspiring drivers do.

"I think the hard part for young guys is sponsors want to invest in guys they know and it’s hard," Joe Gibbs Racing General Manager JD Gibbs said. "We (at JGR) have a great team and the chance for sponsors to invest in these young guys and at the same time these Cup guys.

"It’s a great philosophy and really, our future is with the young guys and we have a great crop coming up. I’d love for Darrell to be a part of that process. Have a breakout season and let’s go with that."

That’s certainly the plan for Wallace, who feels equal parts rejuvenated and re-motivated.

"I’d say the win is behind me now," Wallace said. "Yes, it was a big one, but it’s a new season and that can’t be the highlight anymore. I have to live up to it and I know I have to produce more than that one win late in the season.

"From what I’ve learned I need to do, is let everything else go and focus on finishing the race and having fun. That’s one thing I didn’t do at the beginning of last season and it showed.

"I put too much pressure on myself, worried about beating (best friend Ryan) Blaney, worried about beating the rookies. So many things I put on myself that fun went all the way to the bottom and it showed. That won’t happen again.

"Last season we had a good two or three that we should have won, but didn’t. That’s what rookie stripes are for. But now that we’ve got those off, I’ve definitely got a new mindset for the new season."

 

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Veteran driver to have concentrated effort in Nationwide Series

David Starr is joining TriStar Motorsports for the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series season beginning with the season opening DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 22.

"This is an extremely exciting time for me personally, and for my remarkable partners," Starr said in a team release. "Mark and Kathy Smith are great friends of mine, and I have enjoyed watching them over the last few years build their race team into a quality organization with fast cars. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of TriStar Motorsports and to have the power of PME Engines under the hood of my Toyota Camry."

Starr has raced in all three NASCAR national series, but has primarily run in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, winning four times in 317 races. Starr has run in 27 Nationwide events, including two races last season. During the 2014 season, Starr will have a concentrated effort in the Nationwide Series.

"I’m excited for the opportunity to race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series," Starr said. "This will be a bit of a change from racing in the Camping World Truck Series, but I’m excited and eager for a new challenge."

Starr joins TriStar Motorsports drivers Mike Bliss, Blake Koch, Jeff Green, Eric McClure and Will Kimmel for the 2014 season. An additional announcement regarding Starr’s partnerships for this season will come in the upcoming weeks, according to the release.

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Annual Largest-Attended, Single-Day Sporting Event In Texas Will Be Titled Duck Commander 500 with Three-Year Title Sponsor Agreement and Three-Year Renewal Option

FORT WORTH, Texas (Feb. 6, 2014) – Duck Commander, the brand of the best-selling duck calls and name of the thriving family-owned company led by the Robertson clan of A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” fame, has signed a multi-year agreement to serve as title sponsor of the annual spring NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

The largest-attended, single-day sporting event annually in Texas with estimated average crowds in excess of 150,000 will be known as the Duck Commander 500 with this year’s edition scheduled for Sunday, April 6. The two sides agreed to a three-year deal with a renewal option for an additional three years, but no financial terms of the agreement were announced.

 “This is perhaps the most unique sponsorship in professional sports because not only does this come with special branding, it comes with celebrity spokespeople that are followed by tens of millions of people every week,” Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said. “Fans will see members of the Robertson Family and cast of Duck Dynasty and all the rest during Duck Commander 500 week here at Texas Motor Speedway and we have produced some awesome merchandise that both race fans and Duck Commander fans will love. This marriage is perfection.”

 “We’re excited about the partnership for the Duck Commander 500, being aligned with NASCAR, and to have our brand associated with an event of this magnitude,” shared Duck Commander CEO Willie Robertson. “We are all big fans of NASCAR and have been all our lives. It’s especially exciting to see our brand join to make it an awesome experience for the fan base and we can’t think of a better place than our neighbor at the Texas Motor Speedway.” 

While the Robertson family emerged in the public eye and garnered immense popularity through A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” reality show that premiered in 2012, the Duck Commander brand has been the foundation of the family business of duck calls since patriarch Phil Robertson founded the company in 1972 in West Monroe, La.

Duck Commander has since flourished into a multi-million dollar business with Willie Robertson, one of Phil’s four sons, serving as the CEO of the enterprise that now encompasses more than 1,000 Duck Commander products and a powerful stable of licensees. This race entitlement diversifies Duck Commander’s business portfolio and will be unique in structure as the company will utilize their exclusive licensees to fund this sponsorship for the exposure and opportunities to align their product with their brand.

The Duck Commander brand also will enjoy a substantial product presence on its race weekend and throughout the year at Texas Motor Speedway. An extensive line of Duck Commander 500 merchandise will be sold at track and in the Speedway World souvenir store year-round in addition to being available through Duck Commander retail partners. 

Uncle Si’s Tea™ will be introduced and sold at track in single-serve options in both the sweet and unsweetened varieties. Texas Motor Speedway also will look to integrate products such as Duck Commander Family Foods’ BBQ sauce, salsa and beef jerky with the speedway signature concession items.

The Robertson family members also will have a strong presence on their race weekend, with several attending as well as having various VIP or honorary roles such as Grand Marshal or Honorary Starter.

Tickets for the Duck Commander 500 officially go on sale Friday, Feb. 14. Fans interested in purchasing tickets prior to that date can do so by securing season tickets or by joining the Texas Motor Speedway Fan Club. Fan Club members will be eligible for a special Duck Commander 500 pre-sale event that begins 9 a.m. CT Friday.  For those interested in the Fan Club, please visit www.texasmotorspeedway.com/fan-zone/join. 

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Last year’s runner-up in the Chase looks to be even better in 2014

When Matt Kenseth won a race at the organization he used to drive for, the giddiness in the shop could linger for a few weeks. When he won his first race last spring for Joe Gibbs Racing, all of his new teammates and crewmen seemed equally as excited — for a few hours.

"You walk through the shop, and everybody’s shaking your hand and all happy and everything. You go up into your meetings and it’s Monday afternoon, and it feels like a normal week," Kenseth recalled. "It wasn’t like that before. Before, it felt like everyone was on a high for three or four weeks. Now, it was like a half a day. Yeah, they’re still happy and everything, but OK, we expected one of our cars to win that race. Now let’s figure out how to get better, and how we’re going to go to this next track, and how we’re going to win next week. It’s a little bit different feel than what I was used to."

And that’s just fine with Kenseth, who has never really been one to regale in his successes for very long. Certainly, not after a single race victory like his maiden one with JGR at Las Vegas. And not even after a career year, one in which he notched a career-best and series-leading seven race wins, led JGR to its highest victory total ever, and fell 19 points shy of his second championship at NASCAR’s top level. The laconic Wisconsin native is as apt to grow content with his accomplishments as he is to root for the Chicago Bears.

All drivers who succeed in the Sprint Cup Series work very hard, and they all understand the need to progress season over season in a sport that never stays the same for very long. Kenseth, though, takes that to another level. No question, the results of last year indicate that JGR fit him as easily as a broken-in leather jacket, that the teammates he worked with and the cars he drove matched his needs on and off the race track. But if you expect Kenseth to be somehow changed by that experience, think again. Last year’s championship runner-up is almost most comfortable when he’s a little uncomfortable — as he is right now waiting to get back behind the wheel.

"Matt, it’s interesting. I want to make sure this comes across the right way — he’s a pessimist. But he’s driven by that, you know?" said crew chief Jason Ratcliff. "The thing is, I think we’re all pessimists, we’re just all not willing to admit it. So we like to be optimistic about things that we’re skeptical of. He’s just really open to saying, ‘Hey, I think this could happen, this could happen, this could be bad, and this could be bad.’ That challenges him and pushes him forward, which is rare. But it’s taught me to do things a little bit differently, because by nature I’m not that way."

Kenseth has said there were times during his final years at Roush Fenway Racing — when his cars were good enough to win races, but could not seriously contend for the title — when he wondered if he’d ever have another opportunity to win a championship. His confidence level reached an all-time high, he added, not after this past season but before it, when he realized how well he fit with the pieces at Gibbs and what they might be capable of together. All that was realized in the best year Kenseth has had since 2006, when he won four races and finished second in final points.

Now? Kenseth will admit, there may be times late at night when he allows himself the barest sliver of satisfaction, knowing that he’s been able to succeed not just with one race team, but with two. "It wasn’t just that I was fortunate to be in that spot, and I wouldn’t be able to do it anywhere else," he said. After his first full season at Gibbs, he better knows the people around him, his over-the-wall crew, what Ratcliff is capable of. JGR is home now, and any newness is long gone. All that should theoretically translate into the possibility for improved results over last year.

But Kenseth isn’t assuming it. Not in the least. There’s always that little nugget of discomfort in there, driving him forward, reminding him that nothing ever stays good enough.

"There’s not a lot of us who get to do it every week, and it’s a small, select group that get to do it with teams and cars that can legitimately be a contender to win on a regular basis and run for a championship. I think you have to, at least I do, really work hard at all the time to try to stay competitive, to try to stay at a level where you can hopefully contend for wins and hopefully contend for championships," he said.

"So I guess for me, no matter how good we’ve done or not done, I’ve never really been 100 percent comfortable. Honestly, I’m no more comfortable sitting here today than I was sitting here last year, as far as (the) future or whatever. A lot of people may think that’s silly, but that’s just the way I’ve always been. I think it’s really easy to get replaced. It’s a really competitive sport. You’ve got to work as hard as you can all the time to perform at a top level. Some people might not have to, and I kind of envy those people. But I do."

Perhaps understandable, given that Kenseth once worked four years selling parts in a chassis shop during his short-track days, watched his career nearly fizzle out numerous times due to a lack of funding, and ultimately split with Roush so his old team could put two-time Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in his former No. 17 car. Guys like that understand doing whatever it takes to maintain a good thing, especially at 41 years old. Which is why every week Kenseth is back at it, scrutinizing notes and watching video, studying other drivers to look for strengths and weaknesses, taking absolutely nothing for granted.

That little nugget of discomfort is still there. It always is. Even after the best season of his career.

"Success is great while you’re having it. But what we did last year has just about zero impact on this year. Something works different for everybody — some people, they get on a roll, and maybe they get more confident or maybe even arrogant. Some of that works for them. That doesn’t work for me," he said.

"I always feel like after that weekend’s over, I get until Wednesday-ish at the latest before I get that same feeling back in my gut again, where I’m like, ‘Oh man, I’ve got to get to the race track, got to figure out how to conquer this track, figure out how to beat that guy.’ … I kind of get in that mode, and I’ve probably been in that mode since the week after Christmas already. So I’m anxious to get on the track and see how to stack up against everyone, see how we’re going to make these new rules work, the new aero stuff and the new qualifying format, seeing how we can make all that work and be more competitive than we were last year."

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Johnson’s track history proves he could be at an advantage in new Chase format

RELATED: Strategy for 48 team will evolve

Change the rules so that any active driver with six or more championships has to compete not in a car, but in a camper van with a pair of bicycles strapped to the roof. Replace his air guns on pit road with the kind that shoot silly string. Switch out his racing helmet with one worn by a member of Daft Punk. Rather than hearing his crew chief and spotter over the radio, he gets three-and-a-half hours of non-stop Kenny G.

Maybe then, you’ll stop Jimmie Johnson from winning championships, because the revamped Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format introduced last week almost certainly won’t.

Oh sure, that was the initial reaction — in fact, even Johnson himself admitted to wondering if the overhauled playoff was somehow designed to curb his onslaught on the sport’s record books. But the more he thought about it, the more the Hendrick Motorsports ace realized the revised Chase format might instead do something very different — like play directly to his strengths.

"When I look at the years we’ve won championships, we’ve won a lot of races. We’ve won a lot of races in the Chase," Johnson said last week on the NASCAR Sprint Media Tour. "And the way this format plays out, we would have that opportunity come Homestead. So this could be something very good for us. If we can keep our stats like they’ve been, and the process we’ve used, it could be very good for us."

On this, Six-Time is spot-on. Given that this new elimination-style Chase demands excellence at a time of year when Johnson is traditionally at his best, it’s far from outlandish to envision the driver of the No. 48 car using the revamped format as a springboard to a seventh championship.

Or an eighth.

Or a 10th.

No question, the championship at NASCAR’s highest level will now be more difficult to win, and the consequences of a single cut tire or blown engine loom larger than ever before. The level of intensity in and around that final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be downright stratospheric. And yet, if you wanted to design a Chase that best fits Johnson, you could do much worse than to construct a format that ultimately reduces the title run to a one-race, four-driver shootout. If his past numbers are any indication of what’s still to come, go ahead and pencil Johnson’s name into one of those four spots for Homestead from now until the day he hangs up his helmet.

Indeed, anyone hoping the Chase revision is an attempt to "Jimmieproof" the Sprint Cup championship may be in for a disappointment, given that this new criteria for title contention only makes Johnson’s superiority stand out in even starker relief. Besides, placing Johnson at a disadvantage was never NASCAR’s intention anyway.

"I can say there is speculation, ‘You do this because of Jimmie.’ No, Jimmie performs. We fully expect Jimmie to dominate again," said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s executive vice president for racing operations. "Jimmie has been a champion of NASCAR. You heard (chairman) Brian (France) say, ‘You’ve got to beat the best of the best in the Chase.’ If you look back at Jimmie’s history, I think we’d be surprised if he wasn’t there in Miami."

No question. Just look at what we’re dealing with here — a driver whose average points finish over 12 full-time seasons is a ridiculous 2.4. Regardless of the number of championships he’s racked up, nobody does the first nine Chase races better. Nobody. His average points standing entering the finale is 2 — and in the Chase era, that number drops to a preposterous 1.8. Let that number sink in for a bit. You’re cutting this to a final four, and you have a driver whose average standing before the playoff finale is 1.8. You could limit the championship only to the top two each year in South Florida, and odds are you’d still have Johnson to contend with on an annual basis.

So no wonder upon further review Johnson feels like the revised format might indeed work to his benefit. The whole key to surviving and advancing in this new Chase are race victories, and nobody wins more in the playoff than the driver of the No. 48 car. Of his 60 victories in the Chase era, 31 of them have come on tracks that host Chase races, and 24 have come during the playoff itself. In the Challenger round there’s Dover, where Johnson has won eight times. In the Contender round there’s Charlotte, where he recorded his original six pack. In the Eliminator round, there are three tracks — Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix — where he’s won 15 times combined. You really want to bet against Johnson making the final?

Wishful thinking. Indeed, we might be calling the guy "the Eliminator" after all is said and done. Yes, Homestead remains one of five tracks where Johnson has never won, and there are plenty of folks who love to pin hopes on that outlier. But let’s not forget that the three times he absolutely had to deliver clutch runs there — that first Chase in 2004, against Denny Hamlin in 2010, and against Matt Kenseth last season — his average finish is 4.3. And in a revamped format where quality control is more crucial than ever, let’s recall that the rear gear breakdown at Homestead in 2012 was Johnson’s first mechanical failure in the Chase in eight years.

Now, with racing as with the stock market, past performances are not always an indication of future success. But Johnson has been at this so long, and maintained such an altitudinous degree of performance throughout a dozen seasons at NASCAR’s premier level, that it’s really difficult to believe this team is gong to slip off the radar tomorrow. If anything, change seems to revitalize and refocus the No. 48 bunch — which won the championship after the Chase was expanded from 10 drivers to 12, and again after the Car of Tomorrow was phased in, and again after the Generation-6 vehicle was implemented.

Winning championship No. 7 this season, in the first year of this 16-driver Chase and first-to-the-line finale, would only be true to form. No question, anything can happen. As we witnessed in Phoenix two years ago — and seen more than a few times since — the setups in the No. 48 car can be awfully tough on tires. No one, not even Johnson, is immune to a lapped vehicle going sideways in front of him or dropping oil in his wake. With the title ultimately hinging on one race, small crises can quickly escalate into complete disasters, no matter how many championship trophies you have on the mantle.

But when you strip away all the worst-case scenarios, and take a realistic look at which driver is best suited to advance through the first three stages, only one name emerges. Had this new format been implemented in 2004, Johnson would have made every final round but one. All indications point to him continuing to make the final and continuing to pursue and win championships, barring an unforeseen schedule shakeup that loads the Chase with unfavorable tracks. That, or NASCAR makes him race the No. 48 camper van.

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Harvick will run 13 races in the No. 5 car with JR Motorsports

Kevin Harvick’s NASCAR Nationwide Series ride with JR Motorsports has picked up five additional sponsors, the team announced today. 

Harvick is now slated to run in 13 races, driving the No. 5 car with JRM. The race team will be using additional drivers for the rest of the season.

Great Clips will sponsor Harvick at Phoenix International Raceway for the March 1 race, TaxSlayer.com will sponsor the car for the March 22 race at Auto Club Speedway, Tide will sponsor the car for the April 25 race at Richmond International Raceway and Bad Boy Buggies will sponsor the car for the Aug. 30 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Morton Buildings will sponsor Harvick at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the July 26 race and at Kansas Speedway for the Oct. 4 race.

The five sponsors join Hunt Brothers Pizza (who has signed up for four races) and Armour (who has signed up for three races) as sponsors for Harvick.

Hunt Brothers Pizza will serve as the primary sponsor for both races at Texas Motor Speedway and a race each at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. 

“Kevin has generated a lot of interest in our racing program from new companies and our returning partners," said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, general manager of JR Motorsports. “His excitement about the upcoming season is infectious and has really lit a fire under everyone at JR Motorsports to match that intensity with all three of our teams.

Harvick has run in 301 Nationwide races in his career, posting 40 wins as well as two series championships (2001 and 2006).

JRM will have two full-time drivers in the Nationwide Series with series rookie Chase Elliott driving the No. 9 Chevrolet and Regan Smith driving the No. 7 Chevrolet.

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72-year-old aims to be the oldest driver in Daytona 500 history

Morgan Shepherd will aim to be the oldest driver to ever race in the Daytona 500 when he tries to qualify for The Great American Race later this month.

Shepherd will attempt to qualify in the No. 93 Support Military Foundation Toyota. BK Racing confirmed it was leasing the car to Shepherd.

Shepherd, who turned 72 in October, is already the oldest driver to start a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. That happened last July at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He partnered with Support Military Foundation for that race and completed 92 laps to finish in 41st place.

Shepherd has competed in 15 Daytona 500s, with the most recent coming in 1997. He best finish was a second-place result in the 1992 edition of the race.

The driver has made 515 career Cup starts, dating back to 1970.

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Name change takes effect immediately

Five months after Harry Scott Jr. purchased Phoenix Racing from James Finch, the owner has officially changed the team name to HScott Motorsports.

The move was announced Wednesday, and rebranding efforts come in the form of a new logo, website and social media accounts.

"I am truly looking forward to the 2014 season," Scott said in a team release. "We have two great drivers in place with Justin Allgaier and Bobby Labonte, we’ve partnered with great sponsors and the team is ready and excited for Daytona. Now that we have launched the HScott Motorsports brand, everything is in place. We can’t wait for the season to get started and to get back to racing."

Earlier this year, the team announced that Allgaier would be the full-time driver for the team’s No. 51 Chevrolet. Steve Addington will serve as his crew chief, as well as the organization’s competition director. Labonte will drive the No. 52 Chevrolet for a select number of races, according to the team, including the Daytona 500.

HScott Motorsports has also expanded its relationship with Hendrick Motorsports, which has provided engines to the team in the past.

New social media information includes:

Website: www.HScottMotorsports.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/HScottMotorsports
Twitter: @TeamHSM51 and @TeamHSM52
Instagram: TeamHSM51

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20-year-old driver made seven Nationwide starts last season

Harrison Rhodes will drive for the No. 24 Toyota for SR2 Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway in the NASCAR Nationwide Series opener, the DRIVE4COPD 300 on Feb. 22.

The race will be Rhodes’ first at Daytona and also his first restrictor-plate race. He took part in Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona last month.

HOODZ Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning and DUCTZ Air Duct Cleaning and HVAC Restoration have teamed up to partner with Rhodes for the race weekend.

"I am extremely excited for the opportunity to drive the No. 24 HOODZ & DUCTZ Toyota at Daytona," Rhodes said in a team release.

Rhodes, 20, made his Nationwide debut last season at Phoenix in March. He posted a 25th-place finish. In 2013, Rhodes made seven starts, with his best result (23rd) coming in the June race at Iowa Speedway. 


"Harrison is a great young driver that I have been watching a lot this past season," team owner Jason Sciavicco said. "He shows great poise behind the wheel, has shown significant improvement in the Nationwide Series car and is excellent working with his marketing partners."

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After strong Truck Series season, veteran driver moves to Nationwide Series

When Brendan Gaughan showed up for NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing last month at Daytona International Speedway, he was sporting a retro mustache that seemed fitting for either a 1970s album cover or a Mario Brothers cartridge.

The soup strainer, Gaughan explained, was a tribute to a long-ago photo of his father, a picture he recreated 25 years later with "rather frightening" results.

"My father had a famous picture of him the day the Barbary Coast (Hotel & Casino) opened in 1979, and we used it for a PR campaign last year," Gaughan said. "Everybody would look over the mustache and say, ‘Man, you look like your dad.’ And I went, ‘I can grow that mustache,’ and they went, ‘No, you can’t.’ … So I grew the mustache."

By the time the Sprint Media Tour rolled around the last week of January, the mustache was only a memory for the clean-shaven Gaughan, but his bubbling excitement for the season ahead remained. The Las Vegas native, a veteran in all three NASCAR national series, is making the move up to the Nationwide Series for 2014, bringing the core of his truck team from last year with him. 

For Gaughan, the shift from Silverados to Camaros in the Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet stable isn’t expected to be a drastic change. 

"It’s the same team. It’s a race car," Gaughan said. "It’s not like I haven’t been in the Nationwide Series before. To me, it’s a windshield that’s a little bit more slanted back, same seat, same steering wheel, same gas pedal, and a lot of the same drivers. All it means to me is that I’ve got to go out there and do the same thing that I was doing in the truck. Have that mentality, go try to win races, keep the championship killer mentality in me, and we’ll get it done." 

Helping smooth the transition is the carry-over of veteran crew chief Shane Wilson, who has a deep history of working with the 38-year-old driver. Wilson, who was atop the pit box for all eight of Gaughan’s career victories in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, rejoined the driver-crew chief combination last season. The pairing paid dividends — Gaughan’s 10 top-five finishes were the most of any driver in the series. 

Communication came easy between Wilson and the jocular Gaughan, who typically manages to keep the mood light, even in such a results-oriented business. 

"In these days where there’s a lot more pressure, we approach it in a lot more relaxed manner," Wilson said. "It helps us probably get a little better results. The grind of the year is a lot easier because there’s just no BS. We go to the deal, we have some fun; if we have a bad race, we regroup and we don’t carry that to the next one. I like that, so it’s kind of a relief for me." 

It’s a feeling shared by teammate Ty Dillon, who is also making the move from trucks to Nationwide under the RCR umbrella. 

"Having a guy with that much experience in all three series is huge," Dillon said. "He’s such a positive person to be around. He brings up everybody’s team morale just being around him. Just a great guy, always there to give you a helping hand with whatever you need, and he’s been a great teammate the last couple of years. Looking forward to what we can do together in the Nationwide Series." 

Gaughan ran as high as third in the Truck Series standings last season before issues at Kentucky and Iowa sent him on an early summer swoon that dropped him six places in the points race. Gaughan eventually finished seventh, but the subpar results may have belied the team’s ability to perform. 

"There were three races that cost us 70 points with mechanical failures. You take those three races out and we’re 14 points out of the championship," Gaughan said. "You can’t look back and cry over spilled milk. You have to play the cards you were dealt, but those three races are what really cost us the biggest chunk of points. After that, you never know what’s going to happen." 

Childress’ Nationwide program takes on a new look this season with Gaughan and Dillon as the newcomers, joining Brian Scott, who wound up seventh in the Nationwide drivers’ standings last season. RCR scored two victories last season — one each for Sprint Cup standouts Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick — and corralled the Nationwide drivers’ crown with a winless, super-consistent year from Austin Dillon, who has joined NASCAR’s premier series for 2014. 

With another year together with Wilson, Gaughan says a revival for RCR’s Nationwide regulars isn’t far away.

"There’s no reason this team can’t win," Gaughan said. "But if it can’t, I’m going to do my best Austin Dillon impersonation and top-five ’em to death and win a championship."

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