Late-Race Incident Relegates Gaughan to an 11th-Place Finish in Montreal
unning the final road course race on the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule, Brendan Gaughan survived a late-race incident to bring home an 11th-place finish Saturday afternoon in the No. 33 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
Starting from the 11th position at the Montreal, Quebec-based road course, Gaughan quickly moved his way up to the top 10 early in the NAPA Auto Parts 200. Throughout the event, crew chief Ernie Cope urged Gaughan to conserve fuel under caution laps to allow for a two-stop pit strategy, enabling the Las Vegas native to move into the third position by lap 62. A late-race caution on lap 70 of the scheduled 74-lap event positioned the No. 33 Chevrolet in the fourth position; however, on the lap 72 restart, Gaughan was the victim of a three-car pile-up, sending the South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet for a spin and losing valuable track position in the process. Gaughan maneuvered the black and gold Chevrolet down pit road to change four tires and repair minor damage on the car. Returning to the track, Gaughan battled to regain track position during the two green-white-checker attempts, bringing the South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet home in the 11th position.
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
“Ernie and the entire No. 33 team provided me a fast South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet this weekend. It’s unfortunate we got caught up in the mess at the end, but that’s all part of road course racing. We had the lap times that we needed to finish in the front, and that’s what’s important. I’m excited to get back in the car at Kentucky Speedway in September.”