NASCAR: Brendan Gaughan talks South Point ahead of Las Vegas playoff race

We recently had the opportunity to interview Brendan Gaughan, NASCAR driver and son of South Point owner Michael Gaughan, ahead of the Cup Series playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

For the second consecutive season, South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa is set to serve as the title sponsor for the NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

This South Point 400 is scheduled to kick off the four-round, 10-race playoffs this Sunday, September 15 at 7:00 p.m. ET.

We had the opportunity to interview Brendan Gaughan, NASCAR driver and son of South Point owner Michael Gaughan, ahead of this 267-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Las Vegas Motor Speedway oval in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Gaughan discussed his future in NASCAR as well as his family’s involvement with South Point and in racing, specifically as it pertains to the company’s NASCAR partnership.

Beyond the Flag: You’ve become known for competing in the superspeedway races and you’ve found some success; five top 12’s since 2017, and you finished seventh at Daytona after hitting the wall. How long do you plan to continue competing in these races?

Brendan Gaughan: I truly don’t know how much longer I will be racing the superspeedway races. The Beard family asked me to sign a 10-year contract, and I told them I don’t think I’m going to make it that far, but as long as I can still be competitive and the Beards want to continue I am very happy to drive for them, but I have learned not to look too far into the future at this age.

BTF: Given your family’s ownership of South Point and the sponsorship you carry when you drive, could we see you back competing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway at any point?

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Gaughan: I don’t think so. I’m happy doing the few races a year that I do with the Beard family, but this week has become so busy with us sponsoring the event that I couldn’t imagine trying to actually race this week. The distractions would be overwhelming.

BTF: How did your family get into racing, and how did that carry over to you personally?

Gaughan: I honestly don’t how my father got into it. I just know that he has been racing in the deserts of Baja and Southern Nevada since the late 60s. He raced a buggy since before I was born, even won a couple of desert racing championships in 1977 and 1978. Growing up it was one of my favorite things to do, mom would pack us all up and we would go in a motor home to the desert to watch dad race. I always wanted to be in the race car, he used to always tell me “When you can reach the pedals”, but he never told me you could move the seat! One of my favorite memories was riding in the old Mint 400 parade in the passenger seat, sitting on phone books so I could see wearing glass goggles.

BTF: Do you see yourself continuing the family business as owner and operator of South Point at any point in the future, and if so, do you see the NASCAR involvement of the company continuing?

Gaughan: Currently, I am involved in the operations of two of our family’s casinos, The CasaBlanca and the Virgin River, in Mesquite, Nevada. I have worked in and out of the gaming business my entire life and was lucky enough to work for my grandfather at the El Cortez when he was still going strong. I love the casino industry and plan on being in it the rest of my life, but…don’t look for me at the South Point any time soon. That’s the Big Fella’s and as long as he is there that will always be his.

I don’t see us ending any involvement in racing anytime soon, we are racers. We have been racers since the 60s and that market is our type of customer. We have spent over 2 1/2 decades building a brand and using NASCAR as a big part of our marketing strategies, you don’t just drop that sort of thing over night.

A big thank you to Brendan Gaughan and to everybody at South Point for making this interview happen.

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Tune in to NBC Sports Network at 7:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, September 15 for the live broadcast of the South Point 400 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski won this race to get the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs underway, and teammate Joey Logano held him off to win the race at the track earlier this season in early March.

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