South Point Racing Geared Up For Charlotte Test

For Brendan Gaughan and the South Point Racing team, this week’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) test at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (Charlotte, N.C.) couldn’t come at a better time.

The Series’ schedule is getting into full swing with a seven-race stretch. The trucks will soon be visiting some of Gaughan’s favorite tracks including Michigan, Texas and Charlotte. And the South Point Racing team seems poised to turn the corner and once again contend for top spots in the NCTS.

“The thing I’m most excited about is we went to Kansas last week and we tried the coil binding setup that so many teams are doing,” said Gaughan, who will participate in the two-day NCTS test on Thursday and Friday. “It wasn’t the most successful setup in the world for us, but with a lot of perseverance from the whole South Point team we came out of there just shy of a top 10. We had to make a lot of adjustments, but nobody gave up. That shows the heart and gumption this team has – and that’s what makes a championship caliber team.

“So going to the Lowe’s test, we’re actually going to get to test the conventional and the coil bind setups to see what I like best.”

The team will be trying two very different setups in two No. 77 Chevrolet Silverados. Crew chief Bryan Berry says that testing the conventional setup versus the coil bind setup will help the team as it prepares for not only Charlotte but also other tracks coming up.

“We’ve proven that we have a pretty good package on the 1.5-mile tracks where we can unload off of the truck good and give Brendan a truck that he likes for the race,” Berry said. “This allows us to try something new that might make that package even better. And it’s going to give us an accurate test between the two to see what Brendan responds to the best.

“This test is really going to help this team.”

The team, which switched to Chevrolet Silverados in the off-season, is looking forward to once again proving its prowess on the 1.5-mile tracks of the NCTS circuit – starting with Lowe’s Motor Speedway where Gaughan has a best finish of second-place.

Gaughan says the NASCAR test session will help the South Point Racing team get back to its winning ways. With teams having fewer opportunities to test due to NASCAR regulations, the team is particularly anxious to get on the track at Charlotte for practice.

“Testing is key,” Gaughan said. “If we were able to test again like we used to, I definitely think we’d be able to keep up sooner and faster. I think that the South Point team after a whole test – we’re going to be a team to beat when we come back to the track on May 18.”

And there’s no better place than Charlotte for Gaughan and his South Point Racing team to get back on the right track. After all, the track fits Gaughan’s mold of what he likes and he would like nothing more than to win in his competitors’ backyard.

“Charlotte is my style of race track. It’s fast. It’s mean,” Gaughan said. “It’s a fantastic track. And as far as the South Point team goes, that’s always been this team’s style of race track – big, fast. Watch out because we always perform well after a test.”