Gaughan making transition

Thursday, Jan. 29, 2004 | 10:05 a.m.

Based on the way he joked with reporters and mugged for photographers Wednesday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Brendan Gaughan is having little trouble adjusting to life on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit.

Hired last month by team owners Roger Penske and Doug Bawel to drive the Kodak-sponsored No. 77 Dodge in NASCAR's premier series, Gaughan said the transition from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to Nextel Cup has been a smooth one.

"When you're with an organization like the Penske-Jasper team, they're giving us everything they can to make it easier for us," Gaughan said.

The hiring of Shane Wilson, his crew chief the past four years at Las Vegas-based Orleans Racing, has increased Gaughan's comfort level thus far. Wilson and Gaughan teamed to win two NASCAR Winston West championships and eight Truck Series races over the past two seasons.

"I think it was more important for the performance of the team (to bring Wilson in)," Gaughan said. "Shane and I have that chemistry. The Penske guys look at Matt Borland and Ryan Newman and that chemistry is a big deal. Shane and I have a lot of that chemistry so it really is nice; it makes it a complete team and it's working out really well in all aspects."

Penske-Jasper Racing also brought in veteran crew chief Bill Wilburn, who worked with Rusty Wallace the past two seasons, as assembly shop foreman and Gaughan's spotter.

"I've got Billy Wilburn in there helping Shane Wilson out, they've been giving me Buddy Baker to help me out (as a driver coach) and then at the shop we've got a great group of guys that just keep building good Dodges," Gaughan said.

"As long as you're given the information and the knowledge, you can get stuff done and they're giving us every bit of knowledge we can get."

Gaughan said making the move from trucks to cars has not been as big of an adjustment as one would think.

"What has been a lot of fun is you've got to remember that these (Cup cars) get through the air so much nicer," he said. "Those trucks, when you're in a draft or when you're trying to dive in, you don't even need any brakes because it just slows down naturally so quickly.

"Some days, it's easier (to drive a Cup car) but when you come to a place like Vegas, where you're used to a truck where you can go full-throttle in, lift out, don't even touch the brake and drive away, you can't get away with that driving these things; you've got to make it work a little better. It's not easier, but it's definitely the same world."

Gaughan, who was in contention for the Truck Series championship last year until he was caught up in a wreck in the latter stages of the season-ending race, said he has lofty expectations for his team in its rookie season.

"They're really not putting pressure on me; they're just letting me go out there and try to be me and have fun," Gaughan said of his team owners. "I expect us to do well. They wouldn't spend the money they're spending or hire Shane or myself to get here unless they expected us to do things."

A run for the series championship this season is not out of the question, Gaughan said, because of the new format NASCAR has developed to determine the champion.

"This new points championship, I think, works really well into a rookie team's deal," Gaughan said. "If we can run well and really start to jell and stay within that 400 points and chase for the championship ... if we can hit a stride at that time and be close enough to be allowed in the chase, then it works great for us.

"I really think that this points deal is going to work great for a team like us; it might not work great for a Ryan Newman or a Jeff Gordon or a Jimmie Johnson, but it's going to work great for somebody like us where we may need some time to get up to speed."