Conversation: Brendan Gaughan

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Brendan Gaughan has experienced more in 28 years than most folks experience in a lifetime. He played college basketball for a legend. Now he drives for one.

One wonders what's next. Victory, maybe?

It's feasible this week. With four Craftsman Truck Series wins to his credit at Texas Motor Speedway, Gaughan heads to the Lone Star State primed for a career day in the Nextel Cup Series.

He's fresh off one, after all. Gaughan finished 20th last Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, but spent the majority of the day in the top 10.

Just before he took to the track, Gaughan sat down with NASCAR.com's Marty Smith to talk NCAA college hoops tournament brackets, gambling and what exactly might come next on the ol' resume.

So did you gamble on yourself and Vegas this year?

Gaughan: Nope, didn't find the need to. The guys are working hard, and each week we're getting better. This week is our first example of what I feel is the real advantage to the Penske team.

So we're going to start getting better. This week and next week (at Texas) I'm really looking forward to. Martinsville? You can ... My buddies get mad at me when I say you can skip over Martinsville, but this week and next week I'm really looking forward to.

Sorry, I thought you'd enjoy that first question. Seriously, though, was that whole gambling thing overblown?

Gaughan: Absolutely. It was a misconstrued statement, and somebody took something, actually, out of context and ... All I said is that NASCAR is hitting the mainstream, and we have 180,000 people here at Bristol.

We're becoming a traditional sport in the eyes of many people, and along with that comes that it's available in Las Vegas. I believe that's good for the sport that it's out there, that people can look at it and bet on it.

This sport is impossible to fix, and anybody that thinks anything different is pretty foolish. It was very much blown out of proportion by the media, many members of it.

We're going to Texas next week, where you've won like, 75 times. What is it about that place?

Gaughan: (laughing) I don't know about 75 times, but it's definitely a place where I feel like we can get off the schneid. Went there and tested last week, had Rusty Wallace come out and help us out. It's so much fun to be affiliated with Rusty and Ryan.

Rusty goes places and just helps me out a ton. When we went to Texas, he had a one-day test, I had a two-day test. Shane Wilson (crew chief), the whole Kodak gang, had another brand new Dodge built.

In this business, brand new isn't always the best. I had a great joke today. It's kind of like Jasper re-manufactured engines. It's better the second time around! Found a good way to get that plug...

Keep on working that sponsor in there. Thatta boy.

Gaughan: Come on now! But, Rusty came out there, helped us out a bunch. We got moving, finally. We feel like we can see that light at the end of the tunnel now. All that engineering, all the reasons we switched to Dodge, all the reasons we became part of the Penske organization, all the reason Kodak came to us. It's all starting to take form.

I'm sure you're going there with lofty expectations, considering your record there.

Gaughan: Oh, absolutely. I'm really looking forward to Texas. Everybody keeps saying 'You've got to come back and race the Truck race, go for five.' I say 'Whoa, whoa, whoa...' Who says I can't for five, you know, in the Cup race? I figure I can go for five, then beg Mr. Penske if I can go for six.

Yep, that is lofty. Much has been made of the SMI/NASCAR lawsuit. I'm sure you're one guy who wouldn't mind to go to Texas twice a year.

Gaughan: Wouldn't mind to go to Texas. Wouldn't mind to go to Vegas. But that's a deal that's between SMI and NASCAR. Mr. Smith does a great job, builds beautiful facilities.

ISC and NASCAR build beautiful facilities. There's just only so many weekends in a year. It's getting tough. When everybody in the world wants a date, you can only do so many. So I don't have an answer, nor do I pretend to think I know an answer. That's going to be something a lot smarter people than I will figure out.



Who called first, Rusty or Roger Penske?

Gaughan: For?

Your services.

Gaughan: My services (laughing)? Well, Mr. Penske called and just said there was an opportunity and he'd like to speak with me. Didn't say what it was. I thought I was going to (be) big ...

You crap your pants?

Gaughan: No, thought I was going to make a deal with Dodge and I was going to get two Cup races this year. I was thinkin', 'Ahh, gonna do a couple Cup races for Mr. Penske! Alright!' Uh, yeah. It took me a second to catch my breath after he asked about the whole season when I met him.

Since you played college basketball, I'm going to consider you and expert. If you would, assess the NCAA tournament so far, and is your bracket as screwed up as mine is?

Gaughan: No. So far I have both Final Four teams on the one side done (Oklahoma State and UConn), and I've got a chance to have all four correct. I think of the biggest stunners – Manhattan was an easy one to pick.

I didn't pick St. Joe's to go as far as they did. I thought they'd get beat earlier. Nevada was the biggest thing. Xavier being in there? I actually had Xavier winning two rounds, but I didn't have them winning the Sweet 16. I'm very impressed with Xavier, they're doing a great job.



You can't put away Duke any time they're in the tournament. Duke is just perennial. Georgia Tech is still my pick. Watch out for Oklahoma State. Those are the two. And Connecticut is still there, but Georgia Tech is still on top of my list.

Has the frustration from Homestead subsided yet or are you still pretty angry about that deal?

Gaughan: Naw. I never was really even that mad about it. I was more upset about some stuff that happened earlier in the year and it kind of vented right there. That's part of racing.

That's part of what makes this sport so great. Until the last lap of the last race of the year, the championship came down to that. And we still could have won the championship, even! It would have taken a lot of its and buts at that point, but you look back at the season and say, 'Wow. One position at Bristol, one position here.

Man, if I'd have done this here.' Lots of ifs and buts, but that's what's great about our sport, man, it's a whole year long.

So you say you want to be called the Punisher now. All you've got to do is go out and wreck a few people.

Gaughan: Yeah, NASCAR said. "Don't be like the moniker." But it's Bristol. I figure I can go up there, maybe give somebody a little shot, you can go, 'hey, hey, hey, the Punisher man! I had to live up to the name!'

Didn't hurt Earnhardt any.

Gaughan: That's right! I brought the Punisher with me. I got Thomas Jane here with me. I'm asking if he brought the coat and the rest of his arsenal. It's exciting.

That's what fun about being part of this deal. You get to do things that are so far out of your realm. I'm a movie fan. I see three movies a week. I get to be part of the deal now. I get to hang out with a movie star and go to the premiere with him. He comes to the races and gets to see our world. This is really special for me.

Speaking of doing things. You've done a lot in your life. College basketball. Racecars. What's next? Pro wrestling?

Gaughan: Naw. I tried high school wrestling. Wasn't very good at it. I don't know. Maybe I'll have Marty Smith write a column about what we could do next, see what the fans think. Have the fans write you, see what they think I should do next and we'll go give it a shot. I tried out for a football team, you know?



You tried out for a football team last year? Where?

Gaughan: The Arena League team in Vegas. Made it to the last cut.

You're kidding. Quarterback?

Gaughan: Naw. I hate being a field goal kicker, but it's all I can do nowadays. I'm too old. Made it to the last cut as a kicker.

Very good. How many times have you used the phrase 'Kodak Moment?' Or heard it?

Gaughan: I've heard it a bunch. But you've got to be a little more original than Kodak Moment. Share Moments, Share Paint instead of Share Moments, Share Life. Gotta make your little twists on things.

One of the best ones is, one of our T-shirts says Gaughan in a Flash. We were joking the other day with the man who came up with 'ForGaughan Conclusion' on NASCAR.com (Senior Producer Mark Aumann). I thought that was one of the best headlines or plays on words ever. ForGaughan.

I said, hey that's pretty good. Always said 'Going, Going' or 'Long" Gaughan, whatever. Gaughan with a Flash. I like that.

Source:NASCAR.com

redriderbob

 

Interesting reading, Thanks