Brendan Gaughan is no stranger to rough rides in the desert but driving a Craftsman Truck with a broken shock around a one-mile flat track is a handful – no matter who you are.
That’s exactly the challenge Gaughan faced as he raced under the lights at Phoenix International Raceway and for the third week in a row, the No. 77 team was denied the finish that they really deserved. After a 19th place qualifying effort, Gaughan was convinced that his Dodge was more than capable of racing in the top 10.
The South Point Dodge made progress in the early stages of the 150-lap event but by the halfway point of the race, Gaughan was losing track position and by Lap 82 he had lost a lap to the leaders. When the caution flew for the tenth time of the evening on Lap 124, Gaughan was awarded the free pass back onto the lead lap and toughed it out for a 21st place finish.
