Gaughan Finishes Fourth In Bobsledding Event

For NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Brendan Gaughan Geoff Bodine's bobsledding event wasn't about winning, it was about having fun and helping raise money for a good cause.

In two races on Saturday at the Second Annual Geoff Bodine Bobsled Challenge in Lake Placid, NY, Gaughan placed ninth and fourth, respectively.

“We were so slow in the first race that I figured I needed the help, so I enlisted the aid of John Napier – a driver on the US bobsled team,” Gaughan said. “So we cheated in the first heat of the second race. John (Napier) drove, and I was the brakeman.

“We got to the bottom of the hill and me, John (Napier) and my regular brakeman Sgt. Dumais switched jackets and helmets to make it look legit. We finished third in the first heat with Napier's assistance. Everyone was in on it, and we really played it up for the crowd and the TV cameras. It was fun.

“I really raced the bobsled in the second heat, and I couldn't even hold on to third place. I finished fourth by four-thousandths of a second.”

Gaughan was one of several NASCAR and other drivers who competed in bobsled challenge. The charity event raises money for the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Project, Inc., which creates and builds bobsleds for the U.S. National Bobsled Team at no cost to the athletes.

“What was really cool for me is that we were there to help raise money for these kids who are on the U.S. Bobsled team, and we ended up getting to play with them at this deal,” Gaughan said. “I'm really honored that I had the privilege to go to Lake Placid and support our Olympic bobsledders. It was a cool deal, but now I'm ready to get back to my kind of racing.”

Driver Boris Said took home top honors in the bobsledding event.

Gaughan's next stop is Daytona International Speedway for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series test, which begins on Friday, Jan. 12 and concludes on Sunday, Jan. 14.