Gaughan to run full Nationwide schedule
Gaughan will compete for Raybestos Rookie of the Year. Gaughan takes over the ride, formerly the No. 64, that was shared by David Stremme and Max Papis and finished in the top 10 in the 2008 series owner standings.
The No. 62 was chosen in honor of Gaughan’s family racing background, which includes eight Truck series wins while driving his family-owned No. 62 Orleans Racing entries.
"It's going to be very exciting for me to drive the No. 62 again," Gaughan said. "That number has a lot of meaning to my family that not many people know about. My big brother John's football number was 62, and my two big brothers have always been my heroes in life.
“My father has always been into numbers as well. When we first came up with the number back in 2001, he loved to remind me that his lucky number has always been eight and that ‘six plus two equals eight.’ He would always remind me as if I couldn't figure that out. I also feel that the number is a tribute to Rusty. With all of his years running the No. 2 Miller Lite car, our replacing the four with a two – in the same style as his old number – makes this an even bigger honor for me."
Further, the team announced that Las Vegas-based South Point Hotel and Spa will serve as primary sponsor of Gaughan’s No. 62 team for a number of races in 2009. RWR plans to announce the complete sponsor lineup for the No. 62 in the coming weeks.
“I’ve known Brendan and his family for quite some time now, and they’re all absolutely first-class people," team owner Rusty Wallace said. "Brendan has shown that he has the talent to get the job done. I could see that back in 2004 when we were teammates at Penske. He’s a more mature and focused driver now than he’s ever been, and we’re really looking forward to having him as a part of our team in 2009.
“I also just can’t say enough about Michael Gaughan and everyone at South Point Hotel and Spa. Mr. Gaughan is a first-class individual, and he has a phenomenal group of people around him. Everyone at RWR is thrilled about this new partnership, and we can’t wait to get to Daytona. I feel like our team’s potential grew by leaps and bounds last year. We really think that 2009 is going to be a great year for both of our teams."