Las Vegas…Ready for Lady Luck to smile on them, Brendan Gaughan and Orleans Racing are set for a full weekend of racing as they tackle both the NASCAR Winston West and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck events at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif, March 17-18.
"Mesa Marin is a tough little track," said Gaughan who put his No.16 NAPA/Martin Senour Chevrolet Monte Carlo in Number One spot last year. "This is a track with character and it's very fast. I won my first Winston West race here in 2000 and hopefully we can do it again. The real trick here is to be patient, have a good car setup and plan your pass a turn ahead of time. The ideal scenario would be able to well in both events, but you can never tell what hand Lady Luck will deal out."
Currently ranked 15th in the NASCAR Winston West points battle, Gaughan is filled with the determination that breeds champions. "We haven't done as well as we would have liked so far this season. However, we've only run three races and with a couple of good rounds, we will be right up in the thick of things. Our NAPA/Monte Carlo is right there and NAPA Fresno will be on hand to support us. We've proved we can run up front. Last weekend at Tucson, we really struggled with tires, but hopefully that is now sorted out and we'll be set to go."
Getting things sorted out is nothing new to the Orleans Racing Team and crew chief Shane Wilson. "Shane definitely has it all together," continues Gaughan, the reigning NASCAR Winston West Champion. "I can't say enough good things about him. Our whole team is definitely together, so all we need now is Lady Luck."
The action for this double-header weekend kicks off on Saturday with the
running of the OSH 250 at 5PM. The Winston West FOODS CO takes the green at
2:30 PM on Sunday.
