Friday, Sept. 5, 2003 | 9:31 a.m.
Brendan Gaughan didn't know whether to laugh or cry after he finished seventh in Thursday night's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Richmond International Speedway and regained the series points lead.
Gaughan, a Las Vegas native, battled back from a blown tire early in the race and finished in the top 10, but his Orleans Racing Dodge was destroyed when he was spun out by Bobby Hamilton after the two had taken the checkered flag.
Gaughan hit the frontstretch wall -- the part not protected by the new SAFER wall system -- nearly head-on after being tapped in the right-rear quarterpanel by Hamilton, but was not injured.
"I don't know what happened there," Gaughan said of the postrace contact. "My guys had one of those championship nights where you have problems and adversity and work through it ... and in the end (battling for) one position, which is worth maybe $3,500 or $5,000 just cost us a $100,000 racetruck.
"I think (Hamilton) was mad at one truck and took it out on somebody else. But we took the points lead and this was not the truck we were taking to (New Hampshire International Speedway) next weekend, so it's not the end of the world."
Gaughan trailed Travis Kvapil, who finished ninth Thursday, by eight points entering the race. Gaughan started second and led the first four laps, earning five bonus points for leading a lap, and holds a narrow five-point lead over Kvapil with eight races remaining.
Tony Stewart passed Ted Musgrave with 16 laps remaining and held on for his second Truck Series victory in three career starts. Robert Pressley was second, Musgrave took third, Jon Wood was fourth and Dennis Setzer took fifth.
Rick Crawford, Gaughan, Hamilton, Kvapil and Johnny Sauter rounded out the top 10.
After next weekend's race in Loudon, N.H., the Truck Series moves to the West Coast for races at California Speedway (Sept. 20) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Sept. 27).
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