Gaughan Relying On Short Track Ace and Test To Prepare For MVille Contest

In preparation for the first short track race of the 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season at Martinsville Speedway next weekend, Brendan Gaughan and the South Point Racing team are testing today and Thursday at Ace Speedway in North Carolina.

The four-tenths mile oval has similarities to Martinsville Speedway, so Gaughan hopes the two day test will help him improve. His career best finish at Martinsville is a sixth-place run, which came at the half-mile track last spring.

Not only is Gaughan using the test to help him prepare for the race, but he is also spending these two days working with Chevy teammate Dennis Setzer (No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet) – a two-time winner at Martinsville Speedway and noted short track driver.

“Dennis Setzer is my hero when it comes to short tracks, so having him here is really a big asset for me and this team,” Gaughan said. “I could only hope to be half the short track driver that he is.

“Dennis has been at the track with us all day, and he has jumped in the trucks and given us feedback. We really appreciate him coming to help.”

At the conclusion of the first day of testing, Gaughan was pleased with the South Point Racing team’s results.

After both Gaughan and Setzer tried out both trucks, the team decided to go with a new truck for the Martinsville primary race truck. It’s a truck that Gaughan says has a little more speed and more control than the older truck, which has been used at Martinsville in the past.

“We’re going to focus on the new truck all day tomorrow and just keep making it better,” Gaughan said. “We were the fastest team here today, and we were on the hardest tires, so that gives me something to look forward to when we go to Martinsville.”

The team will test again on Thursday.

The South Point Racing team will race at Martinsville on Saturday, March 31 at 12:00 p.m. PT. The race will be seen live on FOX and heard on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio.