Gallagher’s strong Daytona run could change opinions
Some suggest dad’s deep pockets reason for his ride
With two laps to go, Kurt Busch of Las Vegas was battling for his second consecutive win in the Daytona 500. Brendan Gaughan had charged from a starting position near the Florida Keys to also run in the lead pack.
Both were eliminated from contention by another of Daytona’s big crashes.
Soattheendoftheday,onecouldmakea case for Spencer Gallagher having turned in mail delivered to Las Vegas for the next few weeks.
Before competing in the Four-wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway April 6-8, Brown will drive the ceremonial pace car at the Pennzoil 400 Cup Series race on March 4 and will co-drive a celebrity entry in the March 10 Mint 400 with fellow Top Fueler Steve Torrence.
“It’s going to be my first experience as a pace car driver, and I’m just super stoked to go out there and start those NASCAR boys off the right way,” Brown said.
Cole Custer will make his Cup Series debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, driving the No. 51 Ford for Rick Ware Racing. The 20-year-old Californian, who also is entered in the Xfinity Series race at LVMS, is the youngest winner of a NASCAR touring series event. He was 16 years, 7 months and 28 days old when he won a Truck Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2014.
Sunday’s Daytona 500 probably marked the last drives in the Great American Race for Danica Patrick and David Gilliland. The two are forever linked in my eyes. Gilliland once told me he would try to stay as close as he could to Patrick on the track, because that was the only way he could get on TV.
Gilliland, 41, was one of those back-of-thepack guys who rarely got a chance to show what he could do in a racecar owing to limited finances.
But people sometimes forget he got some serious TV time in 2007 when he sat on the pole for the Daytona 500, and when he finished third in the big race in 2011.
Gilliland, whose teenage son Todd is a rising NASCAR star, started the Truck Series race at Daytona from pole position driving for Las Vegan Kyle Busch.
Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ ronkantowski on Twitter.