Richard Childress Racing

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February 21, 2012

Brendan Gaughan: NextEra Energy Resources 250

"I can't tell you how excited I am. The opportunity to run for a man who is such an iconic figure in our sport is just amazing. The equipment and employees at RCR are top notch."

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Event Preview Fact Sheet

Brendan Gaughan
No. 2 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Silverado

Event/Date:
NextEra Energy Resources 250
February 24, 2012

Venue:
Daytona International Speedway

Race Notes and Quotes:

This Week's South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet at Daytona International Speedway ... Brendan Gaughan will pilot Chassis No. 053 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Camping World Truck Series stable. A former Kevin Harvick Inc. racer, this chassis was built new last season and competed at Daytona International Speedway in February where Elliott Sadler started sixth and finished second before Ron Hornaday Jr. drove it to a runner-up finish at Talladega Superspeedway in October after starting fifth.

Start Your Engine ... This weekend's 250-mile event will mark the Las Vegas native's 188th career Truck Series start. In more than 12 years of competing in NASCAR's truck division, Gaughan has added eight wins, three poles, 33 top-five and 63 top-10 finishes to his racing resume. He has also led a total of 872 laps and scored his highest season point standing position of fourth in 2003.

Daytona Details ... In seven Truck Series starts at the historic 2.5-mile superspeedway, Gaughan has notched one top-10 and two top-15 finishes with his best finish of 10th coming in February 2003. He also competed in four NASCAR Nationwide Series races and two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at the 'World Center of Racing,' running at the end of those six races (lone exception being the Nationwide Series race in February 2010) and completing 93.3 percent of the laps contested.

Please Sign Here ... Gaughan is scheduled to participate in a NASCAR autograph session on Friday, Feb. 24 from 2:30 - 3:15 p.m. at the Sprint FanZone. Fans with access to the Sprint FanZone can attend the session free of charge.

A Little Racing Background ... The 2000 and 2001 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West champion made his Camping World Truck Series debut in 1997 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and completed a partial schedule in the series from 1997 through 2001 before competing fulltime from 2002 through 2008, and again in 2011. He holds a two-year unbeaten streak of four consecutive Truck Series victories at Texas Motor Speedway and currently ranks 12th on the all-time Truck Series career starts list with 187 while his eight Truck Series victories ranks him 15th on the all-time wins list.

What's in Store for 2012 ... Gaughan will compete in four Sprint Cup Series, 10 Nationwide Series races and eight Camping World Truck Series races for RCR in 2012. The Las Vegas native will compete in NASCAR's premier division in its second through fifth race of the season. He will share the No. 33 Chevrolet Impala in Nationwide Series competition alongside teammates Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard, Tony Stewart and Max Papis with Ernie Cope serving as crew chief. The 36-year-old driver will also pilot the No. 2 Chevrolet Silverado in the Truck Series with fellow teammates Harvick and Tim George Jr. with RCR newcomer Marcus Richmond atop the pit box.

Did You Know? ... Gaughan is a graduate of Georgetown University and played collegiate basketball as a walk-on for the Hoyas. He was also a member of Georgetown's NCAA Divison I-AA football team where he earned All-Conference honors as a placekicker. Best known as an extra point specialist, Gaughan converted 39 of 40 extra point attempts in the 1994 season that produced the highest extra point percentage in Hoya history.  

BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTES:

You'll be making your career debut with Richard Childress Racing on Friday. Talk about your new adventure and your thoughts heading into the 2012 season.
"I can't tell you how excited I am. The opportunity to run for a man who is such an iconic figure in our sport is just amazing. The equipment and employees at RCR are top notch. I've been to the shop a lot over the off season and to see all the hard work and the thought process that goes into each truck and car is second to none. I'm itching to get started and look forward to being competitive every time I'm in the truck."

Racing at Daytona is always an adventure in itself. Do you have a game plan set in your head by the time the green flag waves on Friday night?
"We'll utilize Thursday's practice sessions to get the truck balanced right to where it performs its best. I'm fortunate to have Ty Dillon and Joey Coulter as my teammates so I'm sure we'll talk before the race about what each other is thinking since the draft is important at Daytona. My goal is to stay out of trouble and be up front at the end."

You'll be running in both the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series this season on a part-time basis. Is it going to be difficult to switch from racing a car to a truck every weekend?
"I have always steered away from switching to a part-time schedule in the past but I had to look at where I would have the best opportunity to win races again and the opportunity to race for Richard Childress is one I couldn't pass up. By sharing the Nationwide Series seat with RCR's Sprint Cup Series drivers, I know I'm going to be in the best equipment in the garage and have the best opportunity to win races to get myself back to where I want to be and that is to compete fulltime again."
 

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