Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: LV’s Gaughan comes on strong in Winston West

Tuesday, July 24, 2001 | 10:48 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

After winning two races and finishing in the top 10 in 11 of his 12 starts en route to winning the NASCAR Winston West Series championship a year ago, Las Vegas native Brendan Gaughan set out this year to prove his 2000 season wasn't a fluke.

"The goal ... is not just to repeat, it's to dominate," Gaughan said last November.

It may have taken him longer than he had expected, but the 26-year-old is starting to live up to his preseason boasting. After a 25th-place finish (thanks to an accident) in the season opener in Phoenix, Gaughan has finished in the top four in eight straight races.

Gaughan led 168 of 240 laps in winning Saturday's Winston West race at Irwindale Speedway -- his fourth victory of the season and second in as many starts at the Southern California track. The victory allowed Gaughan to take over the series' points lead from rookie Mark Reed.

"Every race since Phoenix has been pivotal for us," Gaughan said. "To have the season we had in 2000 and then start like that was tough; that took a lot of wind out of our sails right off the bat. But it goes to show that these guys don't give up.

"There are still three races left. All we've got to do is have one bad race -- one slip-up -- and anything can happen here. So, it's never over until the end. But I like our chances."

The next event on the NASCAR Winston West Series schedule will be at Rocky Mountain Raceway near Salt Lake City on Sept. 1. The series visits the 1.5-mile superspeedway at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 13.

Pole Day for the fifth annual Winston Cup race will be Friday, March 1 and the NASCAR Busch Series race and Winston Cup Happy Hour will be held Saturday, March 2.

White, 38, suffered a fractured left shoulder blade, fractured left collarbone, fractured rib and a skull fracture when he fell while loading Mayfield's car onto the transporter.

"The old girl came through," Bodine said of the car. "The guys that got outrun should be ashamed to be outrun by a car that is eight or nine years old."

"I was ahead of Spencer going into (turn) three. He obviously didn't like that and took me out."