Gaughan Looks to Build on Momentum at Milwaukee

A third-place finish at Michigan was just what Brendan Gaughan says his South Point Racing team needed to get back on track after a couple of rough weeks.

Now, that strong finish has left the team hungry for more as it heads to The Milwaukee Mile this weekend for Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) 200-lap race.

The one-mile flat track has been kind to Gaughan and his team in the past, as they have one win and three top-five finishes in just four starts. Now, Gaughan hopes his proven record at the track can help his team to build on the momentum they have coming into the race.

“Our run at Michigan is definitely something this team needed,” Gaughan said. “We have had good trucks all year, but we haven’t been able to show it because of bad luck. So, yes, going out there and running third is great for our morale and our confidence.

“But now, the biggest thing is that we have to be able to put two consecutive runs together. We’ve had one good run and then we have had problems the next week. This South Point Racing team is a great team and now we have to get that consistency. We have had Silverados that have been fantastic – Dover, Texas are just a couple of the races where we were good, but we didn’t get a chance at it. We just haven’t been able to get that consistency or that luck or whatever you want to call it to make it happen.

“We need to go to Milwaukee and keep this momentum, build this consistency – come in and run well and leave with another top 10 or top five. That will prove that our intermediates, our flat tracks, all our programs are in shape and that we are a team to beat.”

For Gaughan, the annual stop at The Milwaukee Mile for the truck circuit is like a homecoming of sorts. Gaughan, who carved his racing roots on the off-road circuit, spent many summers racing around the state of Wisconsin.

“Milwaukee has always been a great track for me. In fact, Wisconsin is a great place for me,” Gaughan said. “I love the people of Wisconsin. A large and important part of my life was racing around the great state of Wisconsin, so racing at The Milwaukee Mile is very special to me. A lot of people in my fan club are from up there, so we always expect to see a bunch of friends and fans when we get to town.”

And Gaughan doesn’t want to let those fans down.

With three previous top-five finishes – including a win in 2003 – at Milwaukee, Gaughan knows his way around the race track. So with his experience at Milwaukee and all of the engineering and technical support that Chevrolet has given the No. 77 team this season, Gaughan is looking forward to a strong run.

“Milwaukee is one of those places that it is my style of track,” Gaughan said. “It’s a flat track, but at the same time it is high speed. The flatness when you go in is really the fun part. You’ve got to learn how to work a truck that is going to move no matter what you do. It’s going to move around going in. It’s going to move around in the center and it’s going to move around on the exit. But that’s the fun part – seeing who can drive that the best.

“I think all the pull down stuff that Chevrolet has been giving us – letting us work on the rig at Joe Gibbs Racing and in Detroit – has really helped us. I think we are going to go to Milwaukee and be pretty good.”

Gaughan Puts on Announcer Hat on Saturday in Wisconsin

Following the NCTS race at The Milwaukee Mile, Gaughan will head to some of his old stomping grounds – Crandon, WI (Crandon International Off-Road Raceway) for the annual Brush Run Races. For the past two seasons, Gaughan has made the trek to Crandon after the NCTS race at Milwaukee to be an interested spectator at the off-road racing event. But this year, Gaughan will be put to work at Crandon.

“This year, I’m going to be more than a spectator,” said Gaughan, who has raced the Crandon race course on numerous occasions. “I’m going to continue my television job with the World Series of Off-Road Racing (WSORR), and I’m really excited about the experience.”

Gaughan is part of the broadcast team for the WSORR. His work will appear on SPEED later this year. For more information on the World Series of Off-Road Racing, visit www.wsorr.com.