Gaughan Hopes To Return To Old Form At Texas Motor Speedway

Four straight wins – that is Brendan Gaughan’s legacy at Texas Motor Speedway.

During the 2002 and 2003 seasons, Gaughan and his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) team dominated the Texas track winning four consecutive races and scoring a runner-up spot in 2001. Victory lane at Texas Motor Speedway was Gaughan’s second home.

Gaughan wants to stake his claim on the Texas track once more and what better time to make that happen than this weekend.

“I’d love to get back on top at Texas to make my Daddy proud because he’s a cowboy at heart, so winning at Texas is big for us,” Gaughan said. “All of our friends are in the rodeo business and I’d love to tell them that we’re getting back on top, and the place to do that would be at Texas.”

Gaughan and his South Point Racing team have shown flashes of brilliance during the 2007 season, but luck hasn’t been on their side. Whether being swept up in a wreck or having an engine failure while running in the top 10, Gaughan and his No. 77 South Point Chevrolet Silverado have had some strong runs derailed.

“We just need a little luck,” Gaughan said. “We have the pieces in place. Bryan Berry (crew chief) really works magic. I’m really happy he’s on this race team. We’ve been working really hard in the wind tunnel and on engineering things with Chevrolet.

“We’re starting to get a really special team – we just need a good break and some luck to fall our way. I hope that my special place, Texas, can translate into us figuring this whole program out and getting back on top where we belong.”

In nine starts at Texas, Gaughan has four wins and five top-five finishes – all of which came from 2001 to 2003. Gaughan’s record at the race track even earned him an induction into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2003.

But since returning to the Series in 2005, Gaughan hasn’t scored a top-10 at the 1.5-mile track that he once controlled.

“If I knew how we did it, we’d be out there still doing it,” Gaughan said. “We had some special years. We had a very special race team. We had a very special truck. We had everything right. We tested a ton. I think that was the biggest difference between then and now – how much we could test and how well that worked out for us.

“I feel this team is starting to get that feel to it like we had a few years ago. The way Bryan (Berry) works with Mike Roos. The way Harley Rauch is starting to take a leadership role in this program and how far Chris Justice has come along and how Danny Goad is really coming into his own – everybody’s starting to grow.

“All that training we did in the Winston West back then, we have had to do on the fly in the Craftsman Truck Series now, and it is starting to really show that everybody is growing and maturing and this race team is going to end up being very special. I see it, and I want to show everyone else how good we can be.”

Although the race team has changed, one thing hasn’t for Gaughan at Texas. The team will bring his trusty, favorite race truck – ‘Lone Star’ – to tackle the competition. The chassis has four wins at Texas, among other victories.

“I’m taking my favorite truck to my favorite track,” Gaughan said. “They say everything is bigger in Texas – and you can’t imagine how big getting my first win in a couple of years would be if it came in Texas.

“My family has a lot of Cowboy in us, so you better believe we’re going to be up for the fight this weekend.”