Spotlight on Brendan Gaughan
It was all exciting action at Talladega, the first of 13 races in which 5-hour Energy Extra Strength will serve as primary sponsor of Team 62, wheeled by former NASCAR Truck Series Rookie of the Year Brendan Gaughan. Gaughan, who drives the 5-hour Energy Extra Strength Chevrolet Impala SS, is fired up about the new sponsorship opportunity. “I was stoked to have 5-hour Energy Extra Strength on our car starting at Talledega!” he says. Gaughan admits people think he’s naturally high-spirited and he says jokingly, “Little do they know that 5-hour Extra Strength has really been my secret the whole time!”
Q: How do you feel about being part of the Rusty Wallace Race Team?
A: I’ve been fortunate to be part of the team. I get along great with Rusty, we were former teammates, and I’m buddies with Steve. We’ve got a super team and, of course, top equipment.
Q: How’s the chemistry between you and Steve Wallace?
A: It’s pretty funny. I’m the old guy on the team. Steve is extremely knowledgeable about the technical aspects of a race car and really reaches out to teach me what he knows. He’s much more technical than I am. We get along really well.
Q: You’ve had some strong finishes. What was the highlight of Daytona?
A: Daytona was one of those times where the goal was to run smart and not dig a hole. We were happy to finish as well as we did(15th) and do it unscathed.
Q: How does 5-hour Energy help you?
A: What’s really funny is that I look like I’ve got the kind of energy you get from 5-hour Energy—24 hours a day! I’m naturally an energetic person. I’ve found that since I started using the product, it keeps me on my toes and works great for an extra edge without making me jittery.
Q: What went wrong in Talladega, where your car overheated?
A: We had everything we needed to run up front and compete. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get it done. There’s no doubt that our 5-Hour Energy Extra Strength Chevrolet was one fast hot rod, but it needed to be fast for all 117 laps. “We’re not quite sure exactly what caused the overheating problems, but we’ll dissect it and find out exactly what caused the problem and make sure it can’t happen again.
Q: What do you like to do when you aren’t racing?
A: I’ve been a snow skier my whole life and spend my winters skiing. When I’m not racing or skiing, I’m Scuba diving. I’m a master diver and love to travel to Mexico or Honduras to dive when I can.
Q: How do you stay in shape?
A: I’m a gym rat, grew up playing sports and played collegiate sports for Georgetown. I work out with a personal trainer and am training to run the Vegas half-marathon.
Q: Any predictions for the rest of the season?
A: I predict you are going to see Steve and me find our way to victory. We are really close to getting the win for Rusty.
Q: Who inspires you?
A: When it comes to racing, my hero is Walker Evans. He’s my main influence and he still comes to races with me. In life, the three men that really shaped me are my dad, Michael Gaughan, my Georgetown coach John Thompson and my Uncle John Markel.
