‘One Track Jack’ is long Gaughan

Monday, June 30, 2003 | 9:30 a.m.

Brendan Gaughan didn't like the nickname his fellow NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers had given him so he went out and did something about it.

Dubbed "One Track Jack" earlier this month because all three of his NCTS victories had come at Texas Motor Speedway, Gaughan responded by winning Saturday's GNC Live Well 200 at The Milwaukee Mile -- a flat, 1-mile oval in West Allis, Wis.

It was Gaughan's fourth career victory but the first to come at a track other than the 1.5-mile Texas track.

"The whole 'One Track Jack' moniker was definitely getting old -- and we had just gotten the nickname," Gaughan, a Las Vegas native, said. "We all say I'm good at the mile-and-a-half (ovals) and to win at a place like (Milwaukee) means even more because it shows that our program has come a long way."

With his second victory of the season, Gaughan took over the points lead in the Truck Series after nine of 25 races. He holds a 1-point lead over Bobby Hamilton and Rick Crawford and an 11-point edge over fourth-place Travis Kvapil.

Only 73 points separate the top six drivers.

"This is one of the greatest points battles in NASCAR history and we're at the top of it," Gaughan said. "We like where we're at but there's a lot of racing left."

Although he is in only his second full season in the Truck Series, Gaughan, 27, is no stranger to championship battles.

He and his Las Vegas-based Orleans Racing team captured the 2000 and 2001 NASCAR Winston West championships before moving to the Truck Series fulltime last season.

"You don't have to win all the races; just keep yourself near the front of it, put yourself in position to win and you'll win some races," Gaughan said. "If you keep yourself in the front and you gain points each week, let everyone else have their problems and try to minimize yours, that's what it takes to win a championship."

With Milwaukee behind him and a narrow lead in the championship, Gaughan said he is looking forward to the next several races on the schedule -- especially the next two, which will be on 1.5-mile tracks in Kansas City, Kan., and Sparta, Ky.

"We're hitting a stretch that's definitely in our favor," Gaughan said. "When you look at what's coming up -- Kansas, a mile and a half, Kentucky, a mile and a half -- those are our style tracks so we feel confident coming into this stretch.

"(Crew chief Shane Wilson) and my guys are pretty seasoned nowadays and they understand what we're trying to accomplish. Now we've just got to keep the good momentum going."

The weekend wasn't as kind to Las Vegas residents Jimmy Vasser and George Marnell. Vasser, a regular in the CART Champ Car World Series, made his second NASCAR Busch Series start Sunday at The Milwaukee Mile and finished 25th.

Marnell, who competes fulltime in the NHRA Pro Stock category, failed to qualify for Sunday's eliminations in the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill.