Brendan Gaughan Pre Race Report - ORP

The International MaxxForce Diesel team will utilize chassis CB-24 this weekend at ORP. CB-24 is a new chassis for 2008 developed specifically for Gaughan's use. In its race debut last month at Milwaukee, CB-24 finished 16th with Gaughan behind the wheel. It is also one of two trucks that the team tested at Martinsville Speedway earlier this year.

In his five previous starts at ORP, Gaughan has three lead-lap finishes and has been running at the finish in all five races.

Gaughan currently occupies the 13th position in the driver point standings, 163 points out of top 10.

Gaughan participated in I-55 Raceway's M&M NASCAR Night of Stars in Pevely, Mo., on Wednesday, July 23. Gaughan finished second to Dave Blaney at high-banked .33-mile dirt oval.

Circle Bar Racing is hosting two interns as part of Craftsman's Urban Youth Racing School (UYRS) this week. Jeremy Ortiz from Philadelphia is imbedded with Gaughan's No. 10 MaxxForce Diesel team this week.

Gaughan's Thoughts on ORP: "This is my first time driving for the International brand and the Ford Power Stroke Diesel 200 is, of course, a mainstay at the O'Reilly Raceway Park. My sponsor is the race sponsor and I'm looking forward to doing well for them. Rick and I both have had a lot of fast trucks lately, and at ORP we are taking truck 24, which is the truck we raced at Milwaukee."

"I think our short-track program has been pretty good this year. At Martinsville, which is one of my least favorite tracks, I probably had one of the best runs of my career running second all day. We have great trucks. The Circle Bar guys are building me great Fords, and every week our Fords are fast, and every week our Fords race to the front. ORP is a track that I like. It's a high-groove race track, which fits my style, and I try to push on the outside and then I dive-bomb the bottom and pass a few guys. It's a fun race track. You've got a lot of grooves to race on, and it's a historic track down the street from one of the most historic venues in all of racing."