Fast Facts Redux: Brendan Gaughan

Brendan Gaughan at Texas Motor Speedway, April 2015
credit: Debbie Ross/Skirts & Scuffs
NASCAR driver Brendan Gaughan has seen a lot of action in his 23-plus seasons in motorsports, but he also has some other sports in his background. Learn more about this versatile driver in this week’s Fast Facts, originally published in June 2011.
  • Brendan Gaughan was born July 10, 1975 in Los Angeles, CA, but called Las Vegas, NV home. Gaughan is the grandson of Las Vegas gaming pioneer Jackie Gaughan and son of Vegas hotel and casino owner Michael Gaughan of South Point Casino fame.
  • Gaughan attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He played Division I-AA football, earning All-Conference honors as a placekicker; in the 1994 season, he converted 39 of 40 extra point attempts. He was also a walk-on for the Hoyas basketball team, playing in 25 games in his career; one of his teammates and good friends was 1997 NBA Rookie of the Year and 11-time NBA All-Star Allen Iverson.
  • Gaughan got his start in off-road racing, winning his first race in 1991, then moving on to the Short-course Off-road Drivers Association (SODA), where he won the title in 1995, and later in Championship Off-Road Racing (CORR).
  • After running three Craftsman (now Camping World) Truck Series races in 1997 and 1998, Gaughan decided to try stock cars and moved on to NASCAR’s Winston West Series in 1999; Gaughan won the series’ championship in 2000 and 2001. In 2002, he went back to the Truck Series full-time with his family-owned team, Orleans Racing, and won the Rookie of the Year title.
  • Gaughan competed in the Winston (now Sprint) Cup Series for Penske-Jasper Racing in 2004, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year standings, then moved back to the Truck Series from 2005 through 2008. He spent 2009 and 2010 in the Nationwide (now Xfinity) Series driving for Rusty Wallace Racing, then returned to the Truck Series in 2011. In 2012, Gaughan saw action in all three top NASCAR series before returning for another full-time stint in the Truck Series in 2013.
  • Gaughan is currently racing full-time in the Xfinity Series with Richard Childress Racing, whom he also raced for in 2014; he’s also competing in the Cup Series for Premium Motorsports.
  • Find out more about Brendan Gaughan at www.brendangaughan.com


Fast Facts Redux: Brendan Gaughan Fast Facts Redux: Brendan Gaughan Reviewed by Paula on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 Rating: 5