Brendan Gaughan helps puts little team near front at Daytona 500

Driver Brendan Gaughan leaves the garage during a practice session for Sunday's NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP)

Garrett Smithley (0), Aric Almirola (98) and Brendan Gaughan (62) are involved in a multi-car crash during a NASCAR Xfinity series auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017. (Gary McCullough/AP)

Sparks from Elliott Sadler's car (1) hit Aric Almirola's (98) as they go through Turn 4 with Brendan Gaughan (62) and Brad Keselowski (22) during the NASCAR Xfinity series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2017, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP)

It was Wednesday, and Brendan Gaughan sounded pretty jacked up on the telephone. It was hard to tell if that was because he drove from 39th at the start to 11th at the finish in his return to the Daytona 500, or because it was Wednesday.

What a weekend it was for the 41-year-old veteran from Las Vegas who normally competes in the Xfinity Series.

On Saturday, he avoided most of the wrecks in the Xfinity Series race at Daytona, led 16 laps and finished fifth.

On Sunday, he avoided most the wrecks in the Daytona 500 and, had he not run out of gas on the last lap, would have finished ninth for rookie car owner Mark Beard. Beard was making his debut at the Great American Race on a budget so small that Gaughan wore his South Point Racing firesuit to save Beard from having to buy one.

On both days, Brent Musburger, the just-retired broadcast legend who has started a sports gaming network at the South Point owned by Gaughan’s father, Michael, sat in the pit box.

“You’ll never see a nicer guy in this sport, and to have Brent Musburger sitting in his pit box … c’mon,” Gaughan said of teaming with Beard. “We had a chance to finish in the top 10, so it could have been even better. You just don’t see that kind of underdog story (at Daytona).”

Gaughan said Beard’s plan was to run restrictor-plate races at Daytona and Talladega, because restrictor-plate races are the great equalizer in NASCAR — they close the horsepower gap between the haves at the front of the grid and the have-nots in back.

Beard wants Gaughan to drive for him at Talladega. Gaughan has yet to commit.

As for the two putting something together for next week’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Gaughan said that is a box that won’t get checked.

“Not unless Richard Childress wants to put me in a car, or Rick Hendrick,” said Gaughan, who reiterated he has no interest in running Cup Series races in noncompetitive equipment.

DRIVEN TO TEARS

Daytona 500 champion Kurt Busch of Las Vegas said he made only one telephone call after finally winning the Great American Race on his 17th try. It was to his parents, Gaye and Tom.

“My mom answered and was crying. My dad had gone to bed,” the oldest of the racing Busch brothers said at Monday’s Champion’s Breakfast in Daytona Beach.

“For years my mom has had a displeasure for Daytona and Talladega because of (restrictor) plate racing and that you’re a victim of circumstances a lot of time when somebody has an issue and it wipes out a bunch of different cars — and then here the nightmare came true with Kyle getting hurt a couple of years ago.”

But Kurt sensed his mother’s tears were more the happy sort this time.

“She was just so happy that I was safe, and I can’t wait to see her,” Busch said. “My mom and dad have sacrificed so much for Kyle and I to be in this position … they’ve put their time in on the road, but (now) they only drive to the close races around the Charlotte area.”

WAKE UP WITH BUSCH

When it was learned one of Kurt Busch’s media stops after winning Daytona would be The Weather Channel, a lot of people thought it strange, or that he might be trying to get the jump on the field at next week’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after rain and wind and dust storms wreaked havoc last year.

But Busch considers himself something of a weather fanatic — in 2014 he even “interned” at The Weather Channel, whose headquarters are in Atlanta, site of Sunday’s NASCAR race. He was let go by Al Roker after renaming the “Wake Up with Al” segment to “Wake Up with Busch,” and displaying the forecast for Kansas City upside down.

WHITE FLAG

Las Vegas Motor Speedway is covering all bases should inclement weather return to the Kobalt 400.

“Who’ll Stop the Rain?” Maybe it’ll be John Fogerty.

The former Creedence Clearwater Revival front man and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member is grand marshal of next week’s race.

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.