By Sarah Handy, Staff Writer
NASCAR driver Brendan Gaughan announced on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Tuesday morning that he will retire from NASCAR competition after 2020.
Gaughan has tentative plans to compete in all four 2020 Superspeedway races between Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway for Beard Oil Motorsports.
“I’ll be back at Daytona for sure, and try to run all four for them (Beard Oil Motorsports). They’re great people, I love them to death.” said Brendan Gaughan on Sirius XM.
Gaughan stepped away from competing full-time in NASCAR following the checkered flag at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2017. At the time, Gaughan said, “It’s never my last race, but it will probably be my last full-time race.”
The 44-year old Las Vegas native has spent time competing in all three of NASCAR’s top-three series finding victory lane in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series as well as the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.
Gaughan, the 2002 Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year has eight career victories in the series with six of those coming during the 2003 season. That season was a career best in the series for Gaughan who earned 14 top-five, 18 top-10 and 3 pole awards in addition to his six trips to victory lane.
In addition, Gaughan has two victories in the NASCAR Xfinity Series both coming during the 2014 season at Road America and Kentucky Speedway.
The veteran driver has made 62 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series to date earning one top-five and six top-10 finishes with a career best finish of fourth coming at Talladega Superspeedway in the fall of 2004.
The new Cup Series car is expected to make its debut in 2021, but Gaughan’s not interested in running it.
“I don’t plan on going to the new car. I’ll probably do those four restrictor plate races for them, and then they’re going to have to find someone a little bit younger and a little more spry to put in their race car.” said Gaughan.