hearing former #77 Cup driver [and current #77 Truck Series driver] Brendan Gaughan may be running a 2nd PPI Motorsports Nextel Cup team [#96?], not sure if full-time or limited schedule. PPI Motorsports currently fields the #32 Tide Chevy for Bobby Hamilton Jr.(1-18-2005)
UPDATE: Brendan Gaughan would neither confirm nor deny a published report that he is close to signing a deal that would have him running the 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season in a second PPI Motorsports Chevrolet. PPI, which is owned by Cal Wells, fields the No. 32 Chevy for Bobby Hamilton Jr. Gaughan only said that he is committed to running 18 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races — including all that are companion events on Nextel Cup weekends — in the #77 Orleans Racing Dodge. Steve Park will return to the Las Vegas-based team this season and drive the #62 Dodge in all 25 races. Gaughan reiterated last weekend during truck testing at Daytona International Speedway that he had not ruled out the possibility of also competing in the Nextel Cup Series this season. “I may be looking at a few things (in Nextel Cup),” Gaughan said. “There’s talk about a lot of things. I let everybody talk. I listen to all the deals. You never know what might be there. A lot of people have called and expressed some interest (and) I’ve called a few people and expressed interest. I’m fortunate right now that people look at my last season and think something else had to be wrong besides the driver. My sponsor thinks that and a lot of teams think that. I’m at a point in my life where I can kind of do it like I want and right now I want to come run 18 truck races with my Orleans guys.”(Las Vegas Sun)(1-22-2005)
UPDATE 2: Defending Grand American Rolex Series Daytona Prototype co-champion Max Papis has become a fixture around NASCAR garage areas, and has even tested cars for owner Ray Evernham, among others. Last week at Daytona, Papis said he had established a relationship with owner Cal Wells, and Thursday Wells confirmed he’d love to put a program together for the personable Italian. “I’d love to run him in the two road course races,” Wells said of the driver who was named to the 12-man field for the IROC Series on Wednesday. Wells also said that, despite rumors to the contrary, he was not ready to announce any definite plans for the second Nextel Cup team he has been attempting to launch since last season. “When the economy is right, the performance hasn’t been there,” Wells said. “But I think Bobby (Hamilton Jr.) and Harold (Holly, crew chief) will bring that.”(NASCAR.com)(1-23-2005)
