Monday, June 9, 2003 | 8:35 a.m.
Two residents of the Silver State struck gold over the weekend in the Lone Star State.
Al Unser Jr. of Henderson won his first Indy Racing League event in almost two years Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway and Las Vegas native Brendan Gaughan scored his third consecutive NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at TMS on Friday night.
Unser's victory was his first since he sought treatment last summer for alcohol abuse and was his third since joining the IRL in 2000.
"Any victory is very, very sweet," Unser said. "This event is just as important as all the others behind me -- maybe even a little bit more important for what we've been through in the last few years personally."
Unser was arrested in July after allegedly hitting his girlfriend and leaving her on the side of an Indianapolis highway. Although charges were never filed, Unser checked himself into a treatment facility and missed two races.
"When I had my down times last summer, it was (team owner) Tom Kelley and (sponsor) Corteco ... that said that they'd stand behind me and support me and help me through my time," Unser said. "And then when we came back racing, it was my friends, my family, and most of all my girlfriend, Jena, who supported me. And without those people it would have been virtually impossible to get through it.
"All that hard work has paid off, and it's going to continue to pay off. We're just starting here on a good thing, so I'm really proud."
The victory helped soften the disappointment Unser felt last spring at Texas when Jeff Ward beat him to the finish line by a scant .0111 seconds -- the third-closest finish in IRL history. Unser also moved from sixth to second in the IRL standings championship with 11 races remaining.
"Sure, we're a contender in this championship," said Unser, who trails Tony Kanaan by 26 points. "The season ain't even half over yet ... there's a long way to go."
The 1.5-mile Texas oval also was kind to Gaughan, who matched a NCTS record for consecutive wins at a track.
Despite winning both races last year at Texas Motor Speedway, Gaughan's Las Vegas-based Orleans Racing team redesigned the Dodge truck for Friday's race.
"We cut that truck completely apart, cut the front end off it and redesigned it, even though it had won both times last year -- and it was even faster," Gaughan said.
Gaughan, who used to serve as an instructor at the Richard Petty Driving Experience at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, said all the laps he ran at the Las Vegas track has made him feel more comfortable on the faster Texas track.
"Las Vegas is a mile and a half and I spent a lot of time on that track," he said. "(Texas) is a mile and a half and even though it's the second-fastest track we go to, I like it; the speed doesn't spook me."
Gaughan moved from fifth to third in the NCTS standings and trails points leader Bobby Hamilton by 99 points.
"There's no better way to move up in the points than to go win the race," Gaughan said. "We've got a good season, we've just got to keep it going. You don't have to win races to win championships.
"I think, to get the championship, it's going to have to go through a Dodge house," Gaughan said. "If I can be the best Dodge team, then I think I'll win the championship."
Another Las Vegas native in a championship battle, Kurt Busch, didn't fare as well in Sunday's NASCAR Winston Cup race at Pocono Raceway.
Busch was running 12th late in the race when he ran over some debris and cut a tire, damaging his car to the point where he had to withdraw after 193 of 200 laps. Although Busch finished 36th, he remained fifth in the points standings but now trails series leader Matt Kenseth by 362 points.
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