Brendan Gaughan has not raced in the top tier of NASCAR since 2015, but the 41-year-old has revealed he will try to qualify for this year’s Daytona 500.
He told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he will drive the No.59 Leavine Family Racing car which Michael McDowell took to 15th place at last year’s race.
Mark Beard is now the car owner. He previously made two starts in what is now known as the Xfinity series in the 1980s and has owned cars in the category.
“They bought the old Leavine car, they've hired ECR to do motors – real racing motors– and they asked if I would be interested,” Gaughan said.
“So it's got Richard Childress motors, and I'm going to have a Richard Childress pit crew – my guys – and so we're going to the Daytona 500 and see if we can qualify.”
He has made 50 starts in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series over the last five years or so and is set to race full-time in Xfinity this season.
Should he qualify for the Daytona 500, it will be his second time at the event, after finishing 19th in 2004.
Because his team does not have a charter, he will have to try and qualify for the race from qualifying speeds and/or the Can-Am Duel races. Elliott Sadler, driving an open entry for Tommy Baldwin Racing, will be doing the same.
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