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Tag: Brendan Gaughan

  • Gaughan to achieve milestone start at Talladega

    Gaughan to achieve milestone start at Talladega

    When the green flag waves to commence Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, veteran Brendan Gaughan will reach a milestone of his own. By starting this weekend at Talladega, Gaughan will reach 500 starts between NASCAR’s three national major division series in his swan song season of racing.

    A grandson of the late Las Vegas gaming pioneer Jackie Gaughan and the son of Michael Gaughan, owner of South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, Brendan Gaughan started his racing career with off-road racing, where he won three consecutive Class 10 SNORE (Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts) championships from 1991-93 before racing in the SODA (Short-course Off-road Drivers Association) series. His first appearance in NASCAR was at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, his home track, in the Truck Series, where he drove for Walker Evans and finished 24th. In 2002, he fielded the No. 62 Dodge sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts in the NASCAR Truck Series with his father, where he won his first two career races and claimed the Rookie-of-the-Year title. The following season, while sponsored by Orleans Hotel & Casino, Gaughan won a career-high six races and had the series’ championship lead entering the season-finale event at Homestead-Miami Speedway until he was knocked out following late crash and finished fourth in the final standings.

    In 2004, Gaughan was promoted to the NASCAR Cup Series, where he drove the No. 77 Kodak Dodge for Penske-Jasper Racing. He achieved four top-10 results, including a career-best third at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2004, and fell short of the Rookie-of-the-Year title to Kasey Kahne. The following season, Gaughan returned to the Truck Series, where he spent the next four seasons driver between his father Michael and owner Tom Mitchell. While Gaughan did not win the next four seasons, he achieved 11 top-five results, 25 top-10 results and 65 laps led with a best result of 11th in the 2007 standings.

    The following two seasons, Gaughan raced in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Rusty Wallace Racing, where he notched six top-five results, 17 top-10 results and one career pole with a best result of ninth in the 2009 standings. After spending the 2011 season racing in the Truck Series with Germain Racing, Gaughan ran a part-time schedule across NASCAR’s three national major division series for Richard Childress Racing in 2012, where he finished in the top five four times in the Truck Series and in the top 10 five times in the Xfinity Series.

    After racing the entire 2013 Truck Series schedule with RCR, where he earned 13 top-10 results and a final result of seventh in the championship standings, Gaughan returned to the Xfinity Series in 2014, where he drove the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Camaro for RCR. After 98 attempts in the series, Gaughan captured his first Xfinity career win at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, following a late battle with Chase Elliott and Alex Tagliani. Three months later, Gaughan captured his second series win at Kentucky Speedway after battling Elliott and teammates Ty Dillon and Brian Scott. The wins marked his only top-five results of the season despite tallying his top-10 finishes to seven and finishing eighth in the final standings. The following season, Gaughan remained with RCR and went winless, but managed to secure 14 top-10 results and a final result of ninth in the standings. He also competed in eight races for team owner Jay Robinson, scoring a best result of 28th at Atlanta in March and at Daytona in July.

    In 2016, the year the Xfinity Series adopted to the Playoff-elimination format as the Cup Series, Gaughan relied on consistency to make the postseason, but was eliminated from title contention in the penultimate round after Phoenix in November. He concluded the season with four top-five results, 16 top-10 results and a final result of 12th in the standings. The following season, Gaughan made the postseason through consistency, but was eliminated following the first round by a single point. He concluded the 2017 Xfinity season with eight top-10 results and a final result of 10th in the standings. In addition, Gaughan competed in four Cup races (both Daytona and Talladega events) while driving the No. 75 Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports, led by crew chief Darren Shaw and owned by former driver Mark Beard, under an alliance with RCR and powered with ECR Engines. Gaughan’s best performance was a seventh-place result at Daytona in July.

    The following season, Gaughan retired from full-time racing while electing to compete in all Cup superspeedway races for Beard Motorsports in the No. 62 Chevrolet and in three Xfinity races with RCR and the No. 3 Chevrolet on the road-course events at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Road America and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. His best performances in his seven-race schedule were 12th-place results at the Cup Daytona race in July, the Xfinity Mid-Ohio race in August and the Cup Talladega race in October. The following season, Gaughan remained with Beard Motorsports and competed in all four Cup superspeedway events at Daytona and Talladega. His best finish was an eighth-place result at Talladega in April, but Gaughan’s memorable moment of 2019 was at the second Talladega race in October, where he was battling for the lead before he was swept up in a multi-car wreck and barrel rolled in the air before landing on all four wheels and emerging uninjured. He settled in 27th.

    In January of this season, Gaughan announced his retirement from racing after competing the four Cup superspeedway races of 2020 for Beard Motorsports and in the No. 62 Beard Oil/South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. A week before the Daytona 500, Gaughan was one of two competitors driving for non-chartered teams to secure a spot for the 500-mile event based on qualifying speed. A week later, Gaughan avoided a harrowing last-lap wreck involving Ryan Newman to finish seventh in his fifth and final Daytona 500 career start, which also marks his last Cup start to date before this Sunday at Talladega.

    In addition to achieving NASCAR start number 500, this weekend will mark Gaughan’s 10th Cup career start at Talladega and one of two opportunities for the veteran to achieve his first win in NASCAR’s premier series in his 64th series start and in an illustrious racing career spanning beyond 20 years with 10 national major division series victories, four poles and 154 top-10 results.

    The NASCAR Cup Series will race at Talladega on June 21 at 3 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • The Final Word – Daytona and NBC delivered the goods, and the bads, on Saturday night

    The Final Word – Daytona and NBC delivered the goods, and the bads, on Saturday night

    Daytona delivered. The action and the broadcast were both superb. If you missed it, you really missed something.

    Unlike Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He missed nothing. On the good, he claimed the opening two stages. He also managed to punt a third-place car, driven by Kurt Busch, into oblivion when he sent Brad Keselowski up toward him, taking out a pretty fair chunk of the field. He was not done. Later, he got the two lead cars when he hooked Kyle Busch, who proceeded to remove William Byron from the point position. When you’ve taken out the top three cars in any race, including both Busch brothers, you have accomplished something.

    Later, when Kyle Larson cut a tire, he hit Stenhouse. Did that finally remove the favorite driver from among his peers? Nope. He managed to finish 17th and collect a total of 40 points for his efforts. Only the race winner matched him in that category. However, Ricky probably lost a hell of a lot of potential Christmas card senders. He should not expect any from a certain family hailing from Las Vegas.

    The herd had been severely culled as they neared the end, but when Kasey Kahne looked out his back window with a dozen laps left to run, there were Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. trying to chase him down. However, that did not last long, as Bubba Wallace hooked Clint Bowyer, who in turn took out Harvick.

    Of course, they could not finish this thing in a single overtime. By the time the second hit the green, it was Truex and Erik Jones coming to the line, with Kahne and Chris Buescher right behind them. Jones got the push, fought off the defending champion, and put himself in the list of Cup drivers with a career victory. A first win, and at Daytona no less.

    With so many sent to the garage, the rest of the Top Ten were not names we usually associate for such a position. For example…

    3. A.J. Allmendinger
    4. Kasey Kahne
    5. Chris Buescher
    6. Ty Dillon
    7. Matt DiBenedetto
    8. Ryan Newman

    Austin Dillon and Alex Bowman were next. Those two names almost sound like Petty and Earnhardt compared to those just ahead of them. Then there was the quartet that finished in the next five positions…

    11. Jeffrey Earnhardt
    12. Brendan Gaughan
    13. D.J. Kennington
    14. Bubba Wallace
    15. David Ragan

    At least one was an Earnhardt and one drove for Petty. For some brighter lights on the marquee, Daytona was a dark, dark Saturday night. Some managed to earn 10 points or less…

    10 – Aric Almirola
    9 – Paul Menard
    9 – Chase Elliott
    7 – Jamie McMurray
    6 – Kurt Busch
    4 – Brad Keselowski
    2 – Daniel Suarez
    1 – Ryan Blaney
    1 – Denny Hamlin
    1 – Joey Logano

    If you want to know what a pinata feels like, ask Logano. In the first big wreck of the night, that boy had his car hit on every corner and places in between. He described it as the crash that went on and on.

    So, with all the mishaps spoiling the betting line, did it shake up our Chase contenders any? Nope. The sixteen in remain the 16 in. Jones is much more secure in his place, while Bowman still holds on to the last rung, 19 points ahead of Stenhouse. I guess you could say Stenhouse hit the wrong guys.

    As for NBC, the second broadcast of the season was just as awesome as the Chicago effort. Next week is another Saturday night in Kentucky. If they can pull off another excellent, interesting, entertaining presentation from that venue, then there would be no doubt that they truly are for real.

    Daytona delivered. So did NBC. In the words of Warden Norton from Shawshank, “Lord! It’s a miracle!” Let us keep those miracles coming.

  • Gaughan Takes Playoff Hit at Bristol

    Gaughan Takes Playoff Hit at Bristol

    BRISTOL, Tenn. — While Brendan Gaughan still occupies a playoff spot with two races remaining in the 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series regular season, his late wreck in the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway did him no favors.

    Gaughan was part of a three-wide row of cars exiting Turn 4 with 17 laps to go with him up against the wall, Jeb Burton driving the 24 car in the middle and Garrett Smithley on the bottom. Something broke on the right-front of Burton’s car (evidenced by the fire that broke out in the wheel well a few minutes later), leading to him drifting up into the left-rear of Gaughan. Burton hit and sent him spinning backward into the wall, making contact with his right-rear corner.

    He then comes down and makes contact with Ray Black Jr. Moments later, his left-rear tire goes flat and he spins up towards the wall. He makes slight contact with the wall again, with his front bumper, before doing a full 360° spin, coming to a stop and pulling down onto the apron.

    Gaughan finished the race 30th, and he wasn’t happy with Burton after what transpired.

    “We had a decent South Point Chevy. We were gonna sit there in the top-14, top-12 for the most part, and then we have the loose wheel. It’s just racing man. That happens. But two weeks in a row. I know he don’t have many races and I like him a lot normally, but right now, I’m gonna knock the hell out of him. The first time, he gave me a flat. The second time, he says he blew a tire, but if you know you got a tire blowing, don’t drive underneath somebody.”

    Burton later responded, saying he never meant “to get into him” and that he “just got tight.”

    Gaughan leaves Bristol 12th in points, maintaining a 43-point edge over Ross Chastain for the final playoff spot.

  • Kyle Busch Wins at Phoenix, as Championship 4 XFINITY Field is Set

    Kyle Busch Wins at Phoenix, as Championship 4 XFINITY Field is Set

    By Reid Spencer
    NASCAR Wire Service

    AVONDALE, Ariz. – It was just another routine Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway for Kyle Busch.

    But nothing else in the Ticket Galaxy 200 was at all ordinary.

    All the drama unfolded behind Busch, as eight drivers scrambled for four positions in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase’s Championship 4 Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

    Busch led 190 of 200 laps on the way to his 10th NASCAR XFINITY Series victory of the season, his 10th at the one-mile track and the 86th of his career, extending his own series record.

    Busch beat runner-up Austin Dillon to the finish line by 6.115 seconds. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ran third in his first XFINITY Series start since 2013.

    “It means a lot,” said Busch, who won his 170th race across NASCAR’s top three touring series. “That’s what we set out to do tonight, and we’ve been really fast here at Phoenix.

    “We’ve had some great race cars and Chris Gayle (crew chief) and all these guys do such a great job each and every week preparing these things – and it’s fun to win here.”

    Justin Allgaier and Daniel Suarez secured spots in the Championship 4 with respective fourth and fifth-place finishes, as did Erik Jones, who recovered from a pit road mistake on Lap 93 to finish 10th.

    But the real tension waited until after the race, when Elliott Sadler sat anxiously on pit road as NASCAR officials decided whether loose lug nuts would cost Sadler, the 13th-place finisher, the services of his crew chief, Kevin Meendering, in the season finale.

    NASCAR found two loose lug nuts, and that means Meendering will serve a suspension next week. Sadler did not know who his crew chief will be at Homestead – though he was lobbying, somewhat facetiously, for team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. to take over the pit box.

    “The emotions of the last 30 minutes have been tough,” Sadler said. “We knew one was loose, and one was in question. Kevin’s pretty much become my best friend, and Kevin’s made me a race car driver again this year.

    “We’ve saved our Darlington car – our best car – for Homestead. We’ve put all our eggs in that car. We’ve done everything right as a race team to go to Homestead with a legitimate shot of walking away a champion. Now that we know he’s going to be suspended, it’s going to be tough.”

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Managing Director Wayne Auton said there was never a possibility of Sadler losing his spot in the Championship 4.

    “At the end of the race, we bring all the cars down to the entrance of pit road for inspection of the wheels and the lug nuts,” Auton said. “We observed that the No. 1 car had two lug nuts not secured to the wheel. With that being said, all the teams were very much aware at the start of the Chase of the violations that could come about.

    “We’ve advised the team that they’re going to be looking for a crew chief for next week and a monetary fine of about $10,000. It’s clearly in the 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series rule book.”

    Blake Koch finished eighth and lost the final Championship 4 position to Sadler by four points. Joining Koch on the Chase sidelines were Ryan Reed, who finished sixth, and Brendan Gaughan and Darrell Wallace Jr., who were wrecked and eliminated before the race was 150 laps old.

    Gaughan, who needed a victory to advance to Homestead, was playing fuel strategy when his right front tire went flat on the frontstretch on Lap 138. Gaughan pounded the Turn 1 wall and retired in 35th place.

    “It was about to play out the way we wanted,” Gaughan said after exiting the infield care center. “Did not want to be the caution. Did not want to hit that hard – but we took a shot.”

    Wallace’s grandmother had passed away during the week before the race, and the No. 6 Ford carried her name, “Granny Jan,” above the driver’s door. On Lap 148, Koch ducked to the inside off Turn 4 and knocked Wallace’s Mustang into the inside frontstretch wall.

    “My grandmother was giving me the ride of my life,” Wallace said, his voice breaking with emotion. “That was the most fun I have had all year. Just circumstances took us out. It’s just hard. Thanks, Granny, I love you. We will go on to Homestead and let her ride again.”

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Ticket Galaxy 200
    Phoenix International Raceway
    Avondale, Arizona
    Saturday, November 12, 2016

     

    1. (1) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 200.
    2. (8) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200.
    3. (13) Ricky Stenhouse Jr(i), Ford, 200.
    4. (9) Justin Allgaier (C), Chevrolet, 200.
    5. (6) Daniel Suarez (C), Toyota, 200.
    6. (3) Ryan Reed (C), Ford, 200.
    7. (22) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200.
    8. (4) Blake Koch (C), Chevrolet, 200.
    9. (11) Brad Keselowski(i), Ford, 200.
    10. (2) Erik Jones (C) #, Toyota, 200.
    11. (14) Brennan Poole #, Chevrolet, 200.
    12. (17) Aric Almirola(i), Ford, 200.
    13. (10) Elliott Sadler (C), Chevrolet, 200.
    14. (15) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 200.
    15. (19) Justin Marks, Chevrolet, 200.
    16. (20) Cole Whitt(i), Toyota, 200.
    17. (24) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 199.
    18. (16) Brandon Jones #, Chevrolet, 199.
    19. (12) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 199.
    20. (21) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 199.
    21. (30) Brandon Gdovic, Chevrolet, 199.
    22. (26) Ryan Preece #, Chevrolet, 199.
    23. (33) Alex Labbe, Chevrolet, 197.
    24. (32) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 197.
    25. (36) BJ McLeod #, Ford, 197.
    26. (37) Brandon Hightower, Dodge, 196.
    27. (35) Austin Theriault(i), Chevrolet, 196.
    28. (40) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 191.
    29. (39) Mike Harmon, Dodge, 190.
    30. (38) DJ Kennington, Ford, Engine, 165.
    31. (23) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, Accident, 150.
    32. (5) Darrell Wallace Jr (C), Ford, Accident, 148.
    33. (18) Corey LaJoie, Toyota, Accident, 148.
    34. (34) Garrett Smithley #, Chevrolet, Accident, 145.
    35. (25) Brendan Gaughan (C), Chevrolet, Accident, 136.
    36. (27) Ray Black Jr #, Chevrolet, Accident, 103.
    37. (28) Jeff Green, Ford, Accident, 90.
    38. (7) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Accident, 54.
    39. (31) Timmy Hill(i), Toyota, Brakes, 14.
    40. (29) Matt DiBenedetto(i), Toyota, Vibration, 3.

     

    Average Speed of Race Winner:  97.31 mph.
    Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 03 Mins, 19 Secs. Margin of Victory:  6.115 Seconds.
    Caution Flags:  6 for 39 laps.
    Lead Changes:  6 among 4 drivers.

    Lap Leaders:   K. Busch(i) 0; E. Jones (C) # 1-3; K. Busch(i) 4-95; T. Dillon 96-100; K. Busch(i) 101-152; J. Allgaier (C) 153-154; K. Busch(i) 155-200.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  K. Busch(i) 3 times for 190 laps; T. Dillon 1 time for 5 laps; E. Jones (C) # 1 time for 3 laps; J. Allgaier (C) 1 time for 2 laps.

    Top 10 in Points: D. Suarez (C) – 3,111; E. Sadler (C) – 3,102; E. Jones (C) # – 3,097; J. Allgaier (C) – 3,096; B. Koch (C) – 3,092; R. Reed (C) – 3,089; D. Wallace Jr (C) – 3,048; B. Gaughan (C) – 3,032; B. Poole # – 2,178; T. Dillon – 2,174.

     

  • Kyle Busch Scores a Nationwide Fiver at the Monster Mile

    Kyle Busch Scores a Nationwide Fiver at the Monster Mile

    Kyle Busch behind the wheel of the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, scored his fifth Nationwide season win to take the 29th Annual Dover 200 at the Monster Mile. And with that fiver, he also broke a tie with Joey Logano to become the all-time win leader at Dover.

    “Our day was really good,” Busch said. “We were a little skeptical of it yesterday but the guys did a good job of making adjustments for today.”

    “From the start of the green flag, we had a good race,” Busch continued. “I was biding my time early and we missed that first wreck. We were able to pit, get out front and set sail from there.”

    “It was nice to put together a good run and hopefully carry that into tomorrow.”

    Joey Logano, who led laps early in the race, finished second in his No. 22 Hertz Ford. This was his ninth top-10 finish at Dover and his eighth top-10 finish for the season.

    “The first half of the race went perfect and we were able to go out there and lead a lot of laps and be very, very fast,” Logano said. “But as the race went, we put four tires on and lost the lead. Our car was really tight from there on out. I’m not really sure what happened but we will try to figure it out.”

    “We just stayed tight there the last run,” Logano continued. “Overall, it’s second but we come here and expect to win. We began the race well but we lost the handle.”

    Chase Elliott, in the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, finished third and also was the highest finishing rookie. Elliott did, however have his share of adversity, getting into a wreck early and suffering some damage that hindered his progress forward.

    “I’m proud and frustrated at the same time,” Elliott said. “We had a super-fast car from the get-go.”

    “We were just biding our time that first run,” Elliott continued. “I made a mistake following those guys way too closely and that was completely my fault. I drove ourselves into a wreck and then we couldn’t get back up to the front.”

    “We had a really good car from the drop of the green and the guys did a fantastic job getting it taped back up in a way that the fender wasn’t going to fly apart on us.”

    “We tried to battle as hard as we could but it just wasn’t enough.”

    Chris Buescher, driving the No. 60 Roush Performance Parts Ford, finished fourth as the second highest finishing rookie.

    “That was a lot of fun,” Buescher said. “We were really good on pit road and nice and consistent. Every week you have to get better and our consistency has been there. This is our best finish since Mid-Ohio.”

    Elliott Sadler, behind the wheel of the No. 11 SportClips Toyota, rounded out the top five, a position that he had not been in for quite some time.

    “It’s been too long for this race team,” Sadler said. “We made a lot of adjustments today. Top five at Dover is the best we’ve ran here.”

    Kyle Larson overcame two penalties, one for leaving the pit box with equipment and the other for speeding, came back to finish sixth in his No. 42 Cartwheel by Target Chevrolet.

    Another driver that had a world of trouble was Brendan Gaughan. The driver of the No. 62 South Point Chevrolet had a rear suspension issue, sending him to the garage and putting him nine laps down to finish 28th.

    With his third place finish, Chase Elliott maintained his lead in the championship point standings, now 26 points ahead of teammate Regan Smith.

    The full Nationwide Series results for the Dover 200 are as follows:

    1. Kyle Busch
    2. Joey Logano
    3. Chase Elliott
    4. Chris Buescher
    5. Elliott Sadler
    6. Kyle Larson
    7. Brian Scott
    8. Regan Smith
    9. Trevor Bayne
    10. Ty Dillon
    11. Cale Conley
    12. Justin Boston
    13. Aric Almirola
    14. Ryan Sieg
    15. James Buescher
    16. Landon Cassill
    17. Dakoda Armstrong
    18. Jeremy Clements
    19. Alex Bowman
    20. Jeffrey Earnhardt
    21. Dylan Kwasniewski
    22. JJ Yeley
    23. Blake Koch
    24. Ryan Reed
    25. Timmy Hill
    26. Jeff Green
    27. Joey Gase
    28. Brendan Gaughan
    29. Mike Bliss
    30. Matt DiBenedetto
    31. Kevin Lepage
    32. Carl Long
    33. Kevin Swindell
    34. Tanner Berryhill
    35. Morgan Shepherd
    36. Harrison Rhodes
    37. Derrike Cope
    38. Jamie Dick
    39. Mike Harmon
    40. Ryan Ellis
  • Brendan Gaughan Powers his way to the Win at Kentucky Speedway

    Brendan Gaughan Powers his way to the Win at Kentucky Speedway

    Brendan Gaughan won his second Nationwide Series race of the 2014 season passing Chase Elliott and teammate Ty Dillon for the lead late in the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at the Kentucky Speedway  Saturday night. His other victory was at Road America in June. Brian Scott finished second with Dillon finishing third making a 1-2-3 sweep for Richard Childress Racing. Elliott finished fourth and Regan Smith rounded out the top five.

    Dillon was the class of the field all night leading 155 of the 200 lap race. Elliott had gained the lead from Dillon on lap 174 when Eric McClure hit the wall bringing out the caution flag. Two caution periods, one for Sam Hornish Jr., driving the No.54 Kyle Busch Motorsports entry, who hit the wall after contact with Regan Smith, and the second for debris, closed up the field with less than 20 laps to go. On the last restart, when Elliott and Dillon were battling for the lead, Gaughan pounced, passing them both and pulled away.

    “I love restarts, and when that caution came out and we were fourth, I got really excited because I knew we were on the outside and thought we had a good group, and we did,” said Gaughan.”  You have to choose a teammate, so I chose Ty and pushed him down the back straightaway, and he had a launch into turn three, but it was just too much. When they got side by side and I’ve been doing this a long time and an area opened up just enough, I couldn’t believe we were able to take off like that.”

    Scott said after the race, “I thought it was the right call to take four tires at the end. I restarted sixth and got a good restart and got up to fourth and I thought we were going to win this race. But, unfortunately, we didn’t get any long runs and our Shore Lodge Camaro was a little too tight.”

    Dillon clearly disappointed after his dominant performance said, “I spun the tires a bit there at the end and it really cost us. Elliott was able to get a nose ahead of us there before that last caution came out, and that gave our teammate with four tires a chance to get up there and take the win.”

    “It was really good, hard racing there at the end,” Dillon continued. “These cars are under-powered and aero becomes a big deal, and on the restarts, when you get the side draft on those guys and the guy behind you get such a great run, it’s hard to hold them both of them off.”

    The four cautions over the last 31 laps had significant impact on the outcome of the race but it was Gaughan’s restart and power move that won him the race.

    Elliott retains the series lead by 20 points over Regan Smith. Ty Dillon, (-38), Brian Scott (-55) and Elliott Sadler (-51) round out the top five.

    The Nationwide Series travels to Dover International Speedway September 27. The race is scheduled for 3:30 pm ET and will be televised on ESPN2.

    Complete Finishing Order:

    POS. CAR DRIVER
    1 62 Brendan Gaughan
    2 2 Brian Scott
    3 3 Ty Dillon
    4 9 Chase Elliott
    5 7 Regan Smith
    6 33 Cale Conley
    7 60 Chris Buescher
    8 22 Michael McDowell
    9 20 Justin Boston
    10 80 Ross Chastain
    11 16 Ryan Reed
    12 42 Dylan Kwasniewski
    13 11 Elliott Sadler
    14 99 James Buescher
    15 6 Trevor Bayne
    16 4 Jeffrey Earnhardt
    17 39 Ryan Sieg
    18 5 Austin Theriault
    19 43 Dakoda Armstrong
    20 31 Chase Pistone
    21 51 Jeremy Clements
    22 93 Kevin Swindell
    23 28 J.J. Yeley
    24 19 Mike Bliss
    25 44 Blake Koch
    26 40 Matt DiBenedetto
    27 55 Jamie Dick
    28 52 Joey Gase
    29 1 Landon Cassill
    30 54 Sam Hornish Jr
    31 14 Eric McClure
    32 23 Cody Ware
    33 70 Derrike Cope
    34 17 Tanner Berryhill
    35 72 Harrison Rhodes
    36 89 Morgan Shepherd
    37 87 Josh Reaume
    38 74 Mike Harmon
    39 46 Ryan Ellis
    40 10 Jeff Green

     

  • Gaughan Wins in Thrilling Finish at Road America

    Gaughan Wins in Thrilling Finish at Road America

    Nationwide Series Race Recap by NASCAR

    June 21, 2014

    ELKHART LAKE, Wisconsin – Brendan Gaughan survived two early off-track excursions and a race in which much of the second half was contested in rain as cars rode on wet weather tires to win Saturday’s Gardner Denver 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Road America.

    It was the third time in NASCAR history – all on road courses and all on the NNS circuit – that a race has been run in rain. The other two were in Montreal in 2008 and 2010, also on a road course (Circuit Gilles Villeneuve).

    Racing in the rain ignited something in Gaughan that helped overcome and forget his early misfortune and go on to earn his first career win on the Nationwide circuit in 98 starts (he also has eight career wins in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series).

    “I love racing in the rain, it’s fun,” said Gaughan, who was in the 2010 Montreal race, and has driven in rain several other times in other series. “And when you’re good at it, it makes it even more fun.

    “I haven’t smelled blood in a long time, that’s something I’ve been lacking lately, that killer attitude. When it started to rain, even without the wiper blade (was broken), I started to smell blood and said, ‘I’m coming.’

    “It’s fun to watch guys who haven’t done it in the rain. They don’t understand the rain line, and fortunately for me, I did.”

    Gaughan passed Chase Elliott for the lead on Lap 51 and held on for the two remaining laps to win.

    Gaughan beat runner-up Alex Tagliani by .820 seconds in a green-white-checkered finish that took the race to 53 laps, three more than the scheduled 50. It appeared it would be Tagliani’s race to win, as he was leading in the closing laps when he ran out of fuel on lap 49.

    Just seconds before, a caution flag was thrown when Justin Marks also ran out of fuel. Just past the pit entrance when his car stopped, Tagliani was able to roll his car down the downward sloping frontstretch, his crew pushed him into his pit stall, he took on fuel and switched from rain tires back to slicks and proceeded to roar through the field, restarting 23rd and ending up second three extra laps later.

    Such a tough defeat might be hard for some drivers to swallow, but Tagliani took the loss in stride.

    “It was pretty intense,” Tagliani said. “The wet was tricky, but obviously we were good. Maybe I threw a bad spell on myself because I said it was impossible that I was going to win this race, like something’s going to happen, and then on the white flag, something happened (ran out of gas).

    “It’s what it is. It’s not in the cards. You have to be quick, you have to have a good car and it has to be in the cards, and if it’s not, you just have to take whatever comes to you.”

    Tagliani came into the race hoping to be the fourth driver to win from the pole in the last five NNS races at Road America, but came up one spot short.

    The race was put under caution on Lap 25 and NASCAR mandated all cars switch to wet weather tires two laps later. They remained on rain tires until the final four laps, when teams had the option to switch back to slicks after Marks brought out the caution.

    Kevin O’Connell finished third, followed by Chase Elliott and J.J. Yeley.

    Sixth through 10th were Jeremy Clements, Andy Lally, Landon Cassill, Elliott Sadler and Mike Bliss.

    Of note about Cassill: Not only did he compete in Saturday’s race, he hopped a plane afterward to the west coast to be in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Sonoma Raceway.

    NOTES: Regan Smith, who finished 13th, retained his lead in the NNS points standings. Elliott Sadler (finished ninth) is second in the points, 10 points behind Smith, while Chase Elliott remains in third place (11 points back). The only drivers to make upward movement in the points in the top-10 were Brian Scott (sixth to fifth) and Cassill (11th to 10th).

     

  • The Sprint Media Tour – Day Two – Chip Ganassi Racing, Furniture Row, and Richard Childress Racing

    The Sprint Media Tour – Day Two – Chip Ganassi Racing, Furniture Row, and Richard Childress Racing

    Day two of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour presented by Sprint was Chevrolet Day. The NASCAR media met with Chip Ganassi Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Furniture Row Racing, and Hendrick Motorsports. First was Chip Ganassi Racing, newly renamed for this season. It was formerly known as Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing.

    Ganassi was impressed with the way the season ended for the team, with Jamie McMurray winning at Talladega, and hopeful with the addition of Kyle Larson to the team, replacing Juan Pablo Montoya in 2014, but the most glowing report came from Felix Sabates who owns part of the team with Ganassi.

    “I watched this driver for a long time and I believe that he has what it takes to be very successful in this sport,” Sabates said. “Change makes things more interesting and change is inevitable. This kid will be great.”

    Larson, who admitted that most things don’t excite him too much, was quite reserved about 2014.

    “I don’t think too much is being expected of me,” Larson said. “I think you can look at other rookies and you can see what the story is. I think they expect me to be like any other rookie.”

    Richard Childress Racing entered the auditorium minus the owner at first. An accident on the road to the Charlotte Convention Center delayed him, but he got there late, knowing full well that his lectures to grandsons Ty and Austin about being on time would lead to some good-natured ribbing by the two drivers.

    RCR will have new sponsors for 2014, including Dow (Austin Dillon, No. 3), Yuengling Light (Ty Dillon, No. 3 in the truck series), and WIX Filters (company wide). It was also announced that Lucas Oil would become the official oil of Richard Childress Racing.

    Paul Menard stated that he was looking forward to 2014.

    “I’m really anxious to work with Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman,” Menard said. Menard is the senior member of the Cup group now, with Newman coming over from Stewart-Haas Racing this year. “We hired two new engineers and that should help a lot.”

    Newman felt like he was in the best position of his life with RCR, and it felt good to be with an established team.

    “When I started with Penske, it was a startup team and then I went to Stewart-Haas, and it was a startup team. It’s good to be with an established team.”

    Austin Dillon will be making his first start in the famed No. 3 Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway in three weeks. Dillon has already turned the fastest lap among his peers in practice there, and he knows that making “3 Fans” proud, with the car’s reputation means the whole team will have to be on its toes.

    “Things have been great,” Dillon said. “But I’m most excited with the group they put around me. I’m looking forward to learning from Ryan and Paul.”

    Brendan Gaughan will move from the truck series to the Nationwide Series with Ty Dillon. He will keep the No. 62—the same number he used in the truck series. Gaughan praised the RCR marketing department and said that very few unsponsored races are on the schedule for the team. “I teamed with Ty last year in the truck series and now I’m teaming with him in the Nationwide Series. It’s great. Who could ask for more?”

    Team Owner Richard Childress called 2014 the most exciting year he could ever remember.

    “We’ve brought in new engineers and feel like this is our best shot in years to win consistently,” Childress said. Then, he was asked about the No. 3.

    “It’s important that Austin run well, but we saw Austin and Ty in the 3 car or truck the last few years. The decision was made more thane 14 years ago before Dale got killed. We talked to Dale about retirement and what to do with the car and number when he did quit. We agreed not to put anyone in the car unless they were ready and we agreed it would be an Earnhardt or a member of my family. That happened a long time ago.”

    When asked about the new qualifying rules, Newman said it would get most interesting when the cars got to Daytona the second time. Menard still had questions about the new procedure. “It’s going to be a learning process for everyone,” Menard said.

  • NASCAR BTS: Kevin Hamlin is Calling All the Shots

    NASCAR BTS: Kevin Hamlin is Calling All the Shots

    While many in the garage area are busy juggling a multitude of responsibilities, this week’s NASCAR Behind the Scenes (BTS) focuses on Kevin Hamlin, who is calling all the shots from the spotter’s stand to watching over young drivers starting out in their careers.

    Hamlin currently spots for NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Kasey Kahne, as well as up and coming drivers Jeb Burton and Brad Sweet. He has also taken over responsibilities for guiding the career of Cole Whitt, who has recently progressed through the ranks to the Cup level.

    Hamlin, however, did not start out in these roles until after having his own career as a driver himself, honing his craft in the Pacific Northwest. And for Hamlin, racing indeed has been in his blood.

    “It is a family thing,” Hamlin said. “Both my parents drove, so I was born into it.”

    “My mom and dad met at a speedway way back when, so I spent my weekends there growing up as a kid,” Hamlin continued. “I raced quarter midgets and then late models and had some success doing that.”

    “I won two championships in the NASCAR Northwest Series and then married my high school sweetheart, conned her into moving to North Carolina six months later, and we chased the dream.”

    Hamlin continued to pursue his racing career in North Carolina, from an ARCA deal arranged by Brendan Gaughan to a driver development deal with Chip Ganassi Racing. It was then his career took an interesting turn.

    “By the time I knew my contract was up and I was doing a lot of start and parks and test driving (I’ve got more laps in a Cup car than I do a Nationwide car or Truck), I decided I wanted to be more involved in a team aspect than race,” Hamlin said. “While I was racing I was also spotting for John Andretti and Travis Kvapil and getting my feet wet at this higher level.”

    “That turned into a deal with Clint Bowyer and then Ty Dillon,” Hamlin continued. “And then I went over to Kasey (Kahne) when he was looking for a guy and it has been a good year and a half so far.”

    Spotting for Kasey Kahne has led to a whole additional level of calling the shots in his career as Hamlin has developed his relationship with the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver. In fact, he said that the chemistry between them came about almost immediately based on the type of spotting he had done previously for Clint Bowyer.

    “I think Clint Bowyer, when I spotted for him, made me into the way I spot now,” Hamlin said. “Clint wanted a lot of information, where other guys are running, where he is getting beat, etc.”

    “So, when I did those first few races for Kasey, I just spotted the way I did for Clint and I told him if he needed anything different that we would figure it out as we go,” Hamlin continued. “But he liked what I gave him and it clicked right away.”

    “We’ve developed a lingo to where even if I feel like I’m not on my ‘A’ game for whatever reason, he still knows enough the way I do it to know where other cars are around him at all times,” Hamlin said. “Honestly with Kasey it’s been really easy and for whatever reason we hit the ground running.”

    Hamlin, like all spotters, has had to learn a different way to call the shots for his driver as a result of what happened at Richmond prior to the Chase. And for Hamlin, life became more complicated but also a bit quieter as well.

    “The spotter’s role has changed,” Hamlin said. “The spotter’s role isn’t clear high, clear low and wreck in turn two anymore.”

    “Maybe that’s the way it used to be but the role has really developed into letting the driver know where other guys are at, when they are pitting, and trying to work out strategy,” Hamlin continued. “There was a lot of talking back and forth on the digital radio about what you wanted to do with that.”

    “It’s a lot quieter for me now that I don’t have the digital because of what happened in Richmond. “

    Thankfully, Hamlin’s worst experience calling the shots was not with current driver Kasey Kahne. But it was so bad, however, that it actually became a You Tube video of how not to react on the spotter’s stand.

    “My worst spotting experience was at Bristol with Clint,” Hamlin said. “There was a big wreck getting into (turn) three and I got him through the wreck but stupid me said we’re clear, clear, whew and they were wrecking again right in front of him and Clint ran right into that.”

    “So, he chewed me quite heavily for that and guys on the No. 33 team were a rough group back then and they were jabbing me about that too,” Hamlin continued. “I learned until your driver gets with that pace car, your head is still on a swivel trying to watch what is happening.”

    “So, that is one of my most memorable not so fun experiences.”

    Although spotting for Kahne and others keeps Hamlin very busy, he also is calling the shots in a whole new area of the sport, helping to look after the social and digital properties of several drivers, as well as the careers of several upstarts.

    “While I work for Hendrick spotting, my day job is working for Fuel Sports Management group, which is Kasey’s agent and they represent a bunch of different drivers,” Hamlin said. “And I also look after young drivers since I’ve had experience looking out for drivers like the next Kyle Larson.”

    “I’m the competition end guy where there are others who are better at the contracts and business aspect,” Hamlin continued. “So, it’s a good little mixture of what we’ve got going.”

    “My role there has also progressed into working with Cole Whitt’s day to day stuff.”

    “I helped put together the deal with TriStar Motorsports for him and with Swan Racing,” Hamlin said. “So, I’m trying to grow as a day-to-day manager for a Cup driver and trying to learn the business side of the sport as well.”

    “As much as I love spotting, am I going to be doing it in fifteen years? I don’t know,” Hamlin continued. “So, you have to have something to do during the week to help support the family.”

    “That’s where that new role came in.”

    Hamlin is most excited about calling the shots in one other area, that of his family and being with his wife, daughter and son.

    “There is a lot going on but it’s nice because if I’m done at three o’clock on Tuesday, I’ll pack up my computer and head home and I can work at home,” Hamlin said. “I have that option so I can see my kids and hang out with my wife and still do that family time thing that is so important.”

    “We travel so much that it can really wear on you being away from the family.”

    And where would race fans be most surprised to see Hamlin ultimately calling the shots?

    “I’m really good at coloring,” Hamlin said with a sly grin. “My daughter Grace, who is five, and my son who is three, like to color.”

    “My wife is a stay-at-home mom and works her tail off,” Hamlin continued. “So, for me to just come home and hang out and color is fun.”

    “You get me a ‘My Little Pony’ picture and Grace and I can hammer that bad boy out.”

    For more information about how Kevin Hamlin is calling the shots behind the scenes or for any expert coloring advice, follow him on Twitter @KevinHamlin.

  • Crunching The Numbers: Chicagoland

    Crunching The Numbers: Chicagoland

    After a wild and controversial weekend for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series at Richmond and for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in Iowa, all three series meet back up for another tripleheader weekend in Chicago as we’re getting down to 10 races or less in the championship race for each series.

    Sprint Cup Series – Geico 400

    26 races down. 10 to go. For the third straight year, Chicagoland kicks off the Chase for the Sprint Cup and can set the early tone for a successful Chase. Last season, Brad Keselowski won at this track and used the momentum gained from the victory here to carry himself all the way to the championship. Can one of the Chase contenders do the same this season? We’ll find out at the end of 400 miles on Sunday.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Jimmie Johnson 11 0 6 9 2 537 7.5 9.3
    Brian Vickers 6 0 1 3 1 12 5.8 9.5
    Clint Bowyer 7 0 1 6 0 8 15.0 10.1
    Kevin Harvick 12 2 6 7 0 282 18.8 10.5
    Jeff Gordon 12 1 6 7 1 134 12.1 12.1
    Mark Martin 12 1 1 5 0 239 15.5 12.6
    Matt Kenseth 12 0 2 4 1 348 17.1 12.8
    Kyle Busch 8 1 3 3 0 174 15.4 13.4
    Brad Keselowski 4 1 2 2 0 80 19.5 14.0
    Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 12 1 3 5 0 121 17.0 14.2

    Who To Watch: When it comes to excelling in races in the Chase, the first driver that usually comes to mind is five-time champion, Jimmie Johnson, so it should be no surprise that Johnson leads all active drivers in stats at Chicago. Despite never having won at Chicago, Johnson has six top fives, nine top tens, two poles, 537 laps led, and an average finish of 9.3 in 11 races.

    Brian Vickers will be running both the Sprint Cup race and the Nationwide Series race this weekend at Chicago and in six Cup races at the track, Vickers has a pretty good track record. In those six races, Vickers has one top five, three top tens, one pole, 12 laps led, and an average finish of 9.5.

    Others to keep an eye on include: Clint Bowyer, who will have a little added pressure on himself after what took place at and after Richmond last week, with one top five, six top tens, eight laps led, and an average finish of 10.1 in seven starts; Kevin Harvick, with two wins, six top fives, seven top tens, 282 laps led, and an average finish of 10.5 in 12 starts; and Jeff Gordon, with one win, six top fives, seven top tens, one pole, 134 laps led, and an average finish of 12.1 in 12 starts.

    Nationwide Series – Dollar General 300

    As the Nationwide Series heads to Chicago for the second time this season, Sam Hornish, Jr. still holds onto the points lead by 18 points over second place Austin Dillon. With only eight races remaining in the Nationwide Series schedule, the current four man race for the championship between Hornish, Dillon, Regan Smith, and Elliott Sadler is poised to go right down to the wire

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Austin Dillon 3 0 2 3 0 77 2.3 4.0
    Sam Hornish, Jr. 4 0 2 4 1 79 3.8 5.2
    Joey Logano 5 2 3 4 1 249 4.8 6.4
    Justin Allgaier 7 1 2 5 0 9 12.6 8.1
    Parker Kligerman 3 0 0 2 0 0 13.3 8.7
    Brian Scott 6 0 2 3 1 5 14.0 9.2
    Brian Vickers 5 0 4 4 0 3 7.2 9.2
    Matt Kenseth 7 0 3 4 0 62 11.0 11.4
    Michael Annett 7 0 1 3 0 2 17.7 12.0
    Kyle Larson 1 0 0 0 0 4 22.0 12.0

    Who To Watch: No surprise that the top two in points are also the top two statistically at Chicagoland. Austin Dillon, sitting second in points, holds the upper hand at this track with two top fives, three top tens, 77 laps led, and an average finish of 4.0 in three starts. Points leader Hornish isn’t far behind though, with two top fives, four top tens, one pole, 79 laps led, and an average finish of 5.2 in four starts.

    Others to keep an eye on Saturday afternoon include: Joey Logano, who will be driving the strong No. 22 Ford, with two wins, three top fives, four top tens, one pole, 249 laps led, and an average finish of 6.4 in five races; Justin Allgaier, with one win, two top fives, five top tens, nine laps led, and an average finish of 8.1 in seven races; and Parker Kligerman, with two top tens and an average finish of 8.7 in three starts.

    Camping World Truck Series – EnjoyIllinois.com 225

    With seven races remaining in the Camping World Truck Series schedule, points leader Matt Crafton, who has been Mr. Consistency this season, still holds a points lead of 37 points over defending series champion, James Buescher, as the series heads to Chicago. Without any drastic changes between now and Homestead, it looks like this championship is Crafton’s to lose. Time will tell if Buescher or any of the other series regulars can make any headway on Crafton’s points lead.

    Driver Races Win Top 5 Top 10 Pole Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
    Kyle Busch 3 2 3 3 0 210 7.3 2.3
    Ron Hornaday 4 0 1 3 0 12 10.8 7.8
    Brendan Gaughan 2 0 1 1 0 83 11.5 8.0
    Matt Crafton 4 0 1 3 1 23 9.5 8.0
    Johnny Sauter 4 0 2 3 0 2 11.0 9.2
    James Buescher 4 1 1 1 0 6 9.0 11.0
    Ty Dillon 1 0 0 0 0 17 3.0 12.0
    Miguel Paludo 2 0 0 1 0 5 9.5 12.5
    Timothy Peters 4 0 1 2 0 8 16.0 12.5
    Joey Coulter 2 0 0 0 0 3 6.5 13.5

    Who To Watch: No surprise at who is tops statistically at Chicago in the Truck Series. In three races, Kyle Busch has two wins, three top fives, three top tens, 210 laps led, and an average finish of 2.3. Whichever driver has their sights set on Victory Lane will definitely have to go through Busch to get there.

    Others to keep an eye on are Ron Hornaday, Jr., with one top five, three top tens, 12 laps led, and an average finish of 7.8 in four races; Brendan Gaughan, with one top five, one top ten, 83 laps led, and an average finish of 8.0 in two starts; points leader Matt Crafton, with one top five, three top tens, one pole, 23 laps led, and an average finish of 8.0 in four starts; and Johnny Sauter, with two top fives, three top tens, two laps led, and an average finish of 9.2 in four starts.