Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Gaughan has fastest lap in Daytona test

Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2003 | 9:46 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Brendan Gaughan of Las Vegas picked up right where he left off last season during NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series testing at Daytona International Speedway.

Gaughan wrapped up the three-day test on Monday by posting the fastest lap (182.445 mph) during an abbreviated drafting session. Monday's session was shortened to less than two hours due to rain and Gaughan and Dennis Setzer were the only two drivers who ran in the draft on Monday.

Gaughan, who won two NCTS races last season and earned Rookie of the Year honors, posted the sixth-fastest lap (181.225) overall, on Saturday, during single-truck runs. Bobby Hamilton turned in the fastest lap (182.419) of the test.

"We ran pretty decent in race trim but I'm not completely happy with (sixth fastest in the test)," Gaughan said. "We were last among the trucks in the Dodge program but we changed motors twice in three days so I think we left a bunch there.

"I think we can come back (next month for the race) and hit maybe third in qualifying. Qualifying was where we were lacking last year -- and that was my fault -- but this team is of the caliber now where we should be qualifying well every time out."

Gaughan finished 13th in last year's Florida Dodge Dealers 250 NCTS race at Daytona.

Mike Wallace topped the speed charts with a fast lap of 184.053 mph in the No. 09 Dodge owned by James Finch. Mike Skinner was second fastest with a lap of 183.786 in the No. 4 Kodak Pontiac and 2001 Daytona 500 winner Michael Waltrip turned the third-fastest lap at 183.572 in the No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet.

Busch, who finished fourth in last year's Daytona 500, was the quickest driver during Thursday's drafting session with a lap of 184.999 mph, but was 11th fastest overall with a top non-drafting lap of 182.585 in the No. 97 Rubbermaid Ford.

Defending Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart turned in the seventh-fastest lap (182.997) in the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet.

The remaining Winston Cup teams were scheduled to test today through Thursday at Daytona. Approximately 30 Winston Cup and Busch Series drivers will test Jan. 27-30 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The March 1 Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race will take the green flag at 1 p.m. and the Winston Cup qualifying session, set for Friday, Feb. 28, will begin at 3:05 p.m.

Harvick said that Ed Berrier would drive the truck at Daytona and that he would make his first NCTS start of the season on March 14 at Darlington Raceway. Harvick, who competed in the NCTS in 1999, won last year's truck race at Phoenix International Raceway.