Brendan Gaughan No. 62 Napa Auto Parts/Orleans Hotel & Casino Dodge won the Bud Pole Award for today’s Orleans 150 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a 32.853 second fast lap.
“This is the same car we ran at California Speedway. It’s a new Dodge Intrepid and we’re quite a bit faster in qualifying than we were in practice,” said Gaughan
When asked about the difference between his Winston West car and his Craftsman truck, he noted tires in particular. Goodyear is the spec tire for the Craftsman Truck Series and Hoosier is the spec rubber for the Winston West Series. Gaughan, whose many laps around Las Vegas Motor Speedway include driving for Richard Petty Driving Experience, says that time on the track doesn’t really apply to these race conditions.
“Everyone thinks I have an advantage here, but being at speed is a whole different thing, said Gaughan.
For tonight’s final Orleans 150 Winston West race, Gaughan is hoping it’s all NAPA up front.
“We’re looking for the win definitely and hoping Austin Cameron (fellow NAPA driver) also finishes well.”
A total of 26 cars set official lap times for tonight’s Orleans 150. Qualifying 0.150 second behind Gaughan was Eddy McKean (No. 19 McKean Motorsports Monte Carlo). Rounding out the top three qualifiers was Mike David in the No. 2 InjuryHelpline.com, Sierra Springs Taurus.
