Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Gaughan enjoys spotlight at home

Friday, April 21, 2000 | 9:55 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand's motor sports notebook appears Friday. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

Many professional athletes -- racers in particular -- don't look forward to competing at home because the off-track distractions of entertaining family and friends can be a hindrance to on-track performance.

Not Brendan Gaughan.

The Las Vegas native said he is relishing the opportunity to drive in front of his hometown fans in Saturday's NASCAR Winston West Orleans 150 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

"There are a lot more distractions racing at home, but we feel pretty confident here," Gaughan said. "I like pressure and the more distractions, the more I can turn that into 'pressure.'

"You always want to look good in front of your friends and family. You've got to show everybody that you didn't like in high school that you're doing something good. It adds a little pressure to it and I like it; it makes me perform better."

Gaughan, competing in his second full season on the Winston West circuit, is off to an admittedly uncharacteristic good start. He took fifth place in the season opener at Phoenix International Raceway on March 18 and followed that outing with his first win in the series on March 25 at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif.

The 24-year-old Bishop Gorman High product comes into Saturday's race leading the Winston West point standings after two races.

"Notoriously, I've always started seasons off slow and to start the season off this way is great for me because I've always been a slow starter," he said. "I've been a strong finisher, especially last year, and to start off this way makes all the difference in the world."

With all of his experience on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway 1.5-mile superspeedway as an instructor for the Richard Petty Driving Experience, Gaughan is brimming with confidence as he approaches Saturday's race. Gaughan estimated he has logged more than 35,000 laps around LVMS with the RPDE.

"Las Vegas Motor Speedway is my home track, so of course I like it better than any other track," Gaughan said. "Most drivers like to run low here -- that would be the preferred groove -- but because of all the laps I have and because of my style here, I'm probably one of the only guys that is comfortable running a high groove here.

"But the key here will be patience. Las Vegas is a big, long track and you don't have to go out and try to run to the front right away."

NASCAR Winston Cup regular Ken Schrader, former NFL head coach Jerry Glanville and 1999 Winston West Rookie of the Year Jason Small will be among the drivers competing in the 100-lap race, which is scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m. Saturday.

* NASCAR: The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is preparing to run Saturday's Line-X 225K rain or shine -- and the former always is likely in Portland.

NASCAR, which never has contested a touring division points race in the rain, will have Goodyear all-weather tires available for its teams in the event of rain at Portland International Raceway. Teams also have added windshield wipers, defoggers and rear brake lights to their trucks this weekend. ...

Las Vegas native Kurt Busch, who drives the No. 99 Exide Batteries Ford truck for Jack Roush in the NCTS, said he cringes whenever he recalls his first weekend driving for Roush at Daytona International Speedway in February.

"The first work-related time we met was at Daytona," Busch said of Roush. "I wrecked in the first practice and was feeling pretty bad. I walked out of the infield care center and the first person I saw was the man himself. I felt even worse, but Jack patted me on the back and said, 'That's OK kid, just shake it off and go back after it.'

"Well, the next time we talked was during the race. I was running pretty good and Jack came over the radio to tell me I had one of the best trucks on the track and if I drove a smart race could come away with a top-five finish. Not knowing it was Jack, I said, 'OK, Big Daddy.' After the race I found out that it was Jack and I was so embarrassed that I had said that to my boss."

* CART: Las Vegas resident Alex Tagliani of Player's Forsythe Racing became the first CART rookie since 1988 to score points in the first two races of the season.

Tagliani finished ninth in the season opener at Homestead in March and fourth in last Sunday's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach to become the first rookie since Scott Atchison to score in the first two events. Atchison finished 12th in the '88 season opener at Phoenix and ninth at Long Beach.

Nigel Mansell scored in his first four starts in his rookie season of 1993, but the streak was interrupted when he missed the second race of the season due to an injury.

* IRNLS: Tony Stewart, the 1997 Indy Racing League champion and 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, will be in Las Vegas this weekend to serve as the crew chief for Jack Miller.

Stewart is co-owner with Larry Curry of Tri Star Motorsports, which will field cars for Miller and Jeret Schroeder in Saturday's Vegas Indy 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. ...

Blueprint Racing co-owner, Ed Rachanski Sr., who is fielding a car for driver Jimmy Kite in Saturday's Vegas Indy 300, is a part-time resident of Henderson. Sam Schmidt, another Henderson resident, drove three races for Blueprint Racing in 1997 before starting his own team. ...

Schmidt will serve as the grand marshal for Saturday's Vegas Indy 300 and will give the pre-race command to start engines. Schmidt left the neurorehabilitative unit at the Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis and made a surprise appearance Thursday night at the Orleans hotel-casino pool party benefiting the Sam Schmidt Foundation.

* NHRA: Houston Astros third baseman Ken Caminiti told the Associated Press that he plans to enter drag racing as an owner of an NHRA Pro Stock Truck and that he will take over as driver once his baseball-playing days are over.

"Racing's in my blood," Caminiti said. "I've been hot-rodding around since I was in high school. You should see the truck I drive to work. None of the guys will even get in the cab."

Longtime racer Raymond Martin will tune and drive the truck until Caminiti is ready to get behind the wheel. Martin then will become crew chief.

* BACKMARKERS: Tecate Beers has signed on as the title sponsor of the SCORE Baja 2000, which will be run Nov. 12-16. The Baja 200 will start in Ensenada, Mexico, and criss-cross Baja before finishing in Cabo San Lucas, the southernmost point of Baja California.

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