Brendan Gaughan to attempt to make the Daytona 500

Brendan Gaughan will attempt to race in the Daytona 500 this year. Gaughan said he will drive the Chevy Michael McDowell wheeled to a 15th-place finish for Leavine Family Racing in last year's race. The car owner is Mark Beard of Mount Pleasant, MI, a former driver and team owner in the Midwest-based ARCA series who had a couple of Xfinity starts during the 1980s.

"Jay Robinson, the man I drove for a couple of years ago at Premium Motorsports, called me in the middle of the Christmas break and said a friend of his was trying to do a deal and run the 500," said the 41-year-old Gaughan, who qualified for the inaugural Xfinity Series Chase in 2016 driving for Richard Childress.

"They bought the old Leavine car, they've hired ECR to do motors – real racing motors – and they asked if I would be interested. So it's got Richard Childress motors, and I'm going to have a Richard Childress pit crew – my guys (from his RCR Xfinity team) – and so we're going to the Daytona 500 and see if we can qualify."

Beard doesn't possess a Cup Series charter, which would have guaranteed Gaughan a starting spot. So he will have to race his way in via qualifying speed and twin 150-mile races that set the 40-car field. Gaughan said he may have to beat only one other noncharter team for a starting spot.

"We're an open team, but I feel very confident that with ECR motors we're going to be able to make the show," the former Truck Series Rookie of the Year said.

If he does, it will be the second time Gaughan has raced in NASCAR's marquee event. The son of South Point owner Michael Gaughan made his Daytona 500 debut in 2004 driving a Dodge for Roger Penske. He finished 19th after starting 17th. Las Vegas Review Journal