Brendan Gaughan

Brendan Gaughan
Gaughan in 2004
Born	July 10, 1975 (1975-07-10) Los Angeles, California, United States
Achievements	1995, 1996 SODA champion 1997, 1998 CORR champion 2000, 2001 NASCAR Winston West Series champion
Awards	2002 Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
37 races run over 2 year(s)
Car no., team	No. 33 (Richard Childress Racing)
Best finish	28th - 2004
First race	2004 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 4 0
NASCAR Nationwide Series career
71 races run over 5 year(s)
Car no., team	No. 33 (Richard Childress Racing)
Best finish	9th - 2009
First race	2001 Auto Club 300 (California)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 17 1
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career
187 races run over 12 year(s)
Truck no., team	No. 2 (Richard Childress Racing)
2011 position	12th
Best finish	4th – 2003
First race	1997 Carquest Auto Parts 420K (Las Vegas)
First win	2002 O'Reilly 400K (Texas)
Last win	2003 Silverado 350 (Texas)
Wins Top tens Poles 8 63 3
Statistics current as of January 26, 2012.

Brendan Gaughan (born July 10, 1975 in Los Angeles, California) is an American stock car driver. Gaughan is the grandson of Vegas gaming pioneer Jackie Gaughan and son of Michael Gaughan, a hotel and casino magnate. Gaughan currently drives the #33 South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa Chevrolet Impala in the Nationwide Series and the #2 South Point Chevrolet Silverado in the Camping World Truck Series part-time for Richard Childress Racing

Personal life and education

Gaughan attended Georgetown University and played collegiate basketball as a walk-on for the Hoyas with friend and former Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson.

Gaughan earned All-Conference honors as a placekicker on Georgetown's NCAA Division I-AA football team where he became known as an extra point specialist, converting 39 of 40 extra point attempts during the 1994 season for the highest extra point percentage in Hoya history. He was primarily a role player on the basketball team whose job were mostly practice related but did see action in 25 games.

A unique individual, he even sported corn rows in honor of his Hoyas teammate during a race at Dover International Speedway during the 2002 Craftsman Truck Series season.

In 2011, Gaughan appeared as a spokesperson for the South Point Casino in an episode of the History Channel series Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy.

Off-Road career

Gaughan won his first race in a 1991 SNORE (Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts) off-road race. He was the Class 10 SNORE champion in 1991, 1992, and 1993.

In 1995 he moved to SODA (Short-course Off-road Drivers Association) series driving a Dodge Ram from the Walker Evans team. He was the 1995 Class 13 champion, he raced in Class 8 in 1996 and 1997, but did not win either championship (as Scott Taylor won both championships). He moved with most SODA drivers to CORR at the end of 1997 and raced in the Pro-2 category through 1998 where he finished 3rd behind champion Rick Johnson and Scott Taylor.

His biggest wins came at Crandon International Off-Road Raceway. His multiple wins there solidified his reputation as one of the premier off-road racers at the time with his most memorable battle coming between himself and future NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson in 1996. The two dueled throughout the race with Johnson having to come from behind after being spun out by Scott Taylor. However, Johnson's truck succumbed to crash damage from a previous incident with Jimmie Crowder, and Gaughan took his first win at Crandon in a pro category. He followed the win with a repeat performance the next year at Crandon, this time piloting a Chevrolet.

NASCAR career

Early career

Gaughan made his NASCAR debut in a Truck Series race in 1997 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Driving the #20 Orleans Hotel & Casino Dodge for Evans, he qualified 18th and finished 24th. He ran two races in 1998 with the 20 team, but he failed to finish both races. He also attempted his first Busch Race at Las Vegas, but he failed to qualify. In 1998, he was part of the Coca-Cola 500 at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan and was involved in a crash that also collected Bobby Hamilton.

He then decided to move to stock car racing. He ran in the Winston West Series in 1999, and was the 2000 and 2001 champion on the circuit. In 2001, he made his Busch Series debut at Fontana for Ed Whitaker but finished 41st. The next week, he attempted his first Winston Cup race at Las Vegas, but failed to qualify. He also ran seven times in the Truck Series for Bill McNally and TKO Motorsports, and had two top-five finishes.

2002-2004

In 2002, Gaughan and his father fielded a team for himself in the Truck Series full-time. He drove the #62 NAPA Auto Parts to two victories on his way to the Rookie of the Year title. 2003 was Gaughan's career year. Driving the #62 Orleans Dodge for his father Michael, he won six times, including twice at Texas Motor Speedway, giving him four consecutive wins at the track. He held the points lead for most of the season, but finished 4th in points after getting wrecked in the last race of the season by Marty Houston, a teammate of one of Gaughan's rivals for the championship, Ted Musgrave.

In 2004, Gaughan moved up to the NEXTEL Cup, driving the #77 Eastman Kodak Dodge for Penske-Jasper Racing. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings, and 28th in the final points standings. He finished the season with 4 Top 10's including a career best fourth place finish at Talladega Superspeedway. He was replaced at the end of the season by Travis Kvapil.

2005-Present

In 2005, he moved back to the CTS, behind the wheel of the Jasper Engines & Transmissions/Orleans Racing #77 Dodge Ram. He finished 19th in the final points standings, with two Top 5 and 7 Top 10 finishes. Starting with the September 23 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the team began sport a new livery of the South Point Casino in which his father, Michael, is the owner.

In 2007, the South Point team switched to Chevrolet Silverados, where Gaughan returned to the manufacturer which he drove during his efforts in the AutoZone West championships. On August 18, 2007, he married his wife Tatum, finishing second at Bristol following his wedding. In 2008, South Point Racing was to merge with Wyler Racing into Wyler-Gaughan Racing, fielding the #60 and #77 Toyotas. But the deal fell through and SPR was forced to close, leaving Gaughan and 10-12 of his crew members without a team. Gaughan signed to the drive #10 International MAXX Force Diesel Ford F-150 for Circle Bar Racing in the 2008 CTS season. He had five top-tens and finished fifteenth in points.

In 2009, Gaughan drove the #62 Chevy for Rusty Wallace Racing in the Nationwide Series. In 2010, Brendan drove again for RWR, but now in a Toyota, as RWR switched manufacturers at the end of the 2009. Gaughan also ran the November Phoenix Cup race for TRG Motorsports where he finished 43rd after a first lap crash. On October 30, 2010, Brendan and Tatum welcomed baby boy Michael James. For 2011 Gaughan returned to the Camping World Truck Series, driving the #62 South Point Toyota for Germain Racing while Michael Annett replaces Gaughan at RWR. However, Gaughan was unhappy with the lagging performance of the team; at the end of the season he left Germain Racing. For 2012 he will be joining Richard Childress Racing, running 18 races split between Trucks and Nationwide, as well as four Sprint Cup Series races in the No. 33 South Point Casino Chevrolet.

Images

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  2009 Nationwide car

• 

  2010 Nationwide car at Road America

References

• Brendan Gaughan Online
• Georgetown alumni spotlight
• Checker Auto Parts 500 preview, 2005

External links

• Official website
• Brendan Gaughan at Racing Reference

Sporting positions
Preceded by Sean Woodside	NASCAR Winston West Series champion 2000, 2001	Succeeded by Eric Norris
Achievements
Preceded by Travis Kvapil	NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year 2002	Succeeded by Carl Edwards