NASCAR: The perseverance of GMS Racing

The suspension of Spencer Gallagher shocked his team, GMS Racing. Despite the adversity, the NASCAR organization continue to persevere and chase titles.

The 2018 NASCAR season has featured several celebratory moments for GMS Racing amidst a setback for the organization. Primarily, this year marks a vast improvement for #23 Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series. 2017 saw rookie driver Spencer Gallagher finish the season 19th in points behind Dakoda Armstrong, who lost his ride during the season, and Tyler Reddick, who ran a partial schedule.

Frustrated with the performance of #23 Chevrolet, GMS Racing named Chad Norris the crew chief for the 2018 season. The organization began the season on a winning note, as Johnny Sauter won the opening race in the Camping World Truck Series.

On April 28, Spencer Gallagher won his first career Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. With his victory, the 28-year-old sat in 7th place in the point standings and third in the playoff seeds. In addition to his 28 stage points, his victory at Talladega demonstrated that he would be a contender in 2018.

Unfortunately, days later, Gallagher was found to have violated NASCAR’s substance abuse policy, netting him a suspension. As part of his suspension, he is ineligible for the playoffs. While he entered NASCAR’s drug rehabilitation program, the news shocked the NASCAR community and his team. Because Gallagher is the son of Maury Gallagher, the CEO of Allegiant Airlines and owner of GMS Racing, the news affected the team on several levels.

Yet GMS Racing persevered. The following weekend at Dover, Johnny Sauter won the Truck Series race. In his victory lane speech, he dedicated his win to Spencer Gallagher. Sauter also acknowledged the challenge facing the team in light of the suspension.

The next day, as Gallagher’s replacement, Sauter finished in sixth place in the Xfinity Series race. As the team veteran, Sauter continued his impressive season with his most recent Truck Series win at Charlotte. GMS Racing now have four victories in 2018, which is definite consolidation amidst a tough situation.

Meanwhile, GMS Racing continue their quest for championships in the Xfinity Series and Truck Series. Yes, Gallagher is ineligible for the playoffs as a driver, but the team’s #23 Chevrolet is in seventh place in the Xfinity Series owner points playoff standings. Owner points work the same way as driver points for the playoffs. To be eligible, a team must enter their car in every race and finish top 30 in points. A win almost assuredly clinches a berth in the playoffs, and points determine the remaining playoff spots.

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In Gallagher’s absence, the team recently announced Chase Elliott as their replacement driver for five races. Adam Stern tweeted that GMS Racing are negotiating a deal with Hendrick Motorsports in which Hendrick Motorsports drivers serve as replacements for Gallagher for the duration of his suspension. Look for the #23 Chevrolet to remain competitive throughout the rest of the Xfinity Series season.

In addition to #23 Chevrolet having success in the Xfinity Series and Johnny Sauter winning three times in the Truck Series, GMS Racing boast three more competitive Truck Series entries. In his sophomore season, Justin Haley has shown considerable improvement, and he sits in eighth place in points as the last driver above the playoff cut line in his #24 Chevrolet.

A year after finishing in second place in the ARCA Racing Series point standings, Dalton Sargeant is the first driver below the playoff cut line. Yet the driver of #25 Chevrolet sits in first place in the rookie standings and continues to seek his first victory this season. Cody Coughlin rounds out the GMS Racing stable. In his second full-time season, he has earned 11 stage points and is now only about one race’s worth of points behind of the playoff cut line.

In summation, GMS Racing have persevered despite Spencer Gallagher’s suspension. Although the team are eager to see him back racing, the teams’ drivers continue to race hard. Plus, Chase Elliott will drive the #23 Chevrolet for five races in the Xfinity Series. Elliott, an Xfinity Series champion, looks to add to the steadily improving team’s success.

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Be sure to tune to Fox Sports 1 on Saturday, May 26 at 1:00 p.m. ET to watch the Alsco 300 from Charlotte Motor Speedway, which is Elliott’s first race with the team. On the Truck Series side, GMS Racing are arguably one of the best Truck Series teams. Johnny Sauter is the championship favorite, and the three other GMS Racing drivers are seeking playoff berths as well. The next Truck Series race is the PPG 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Viewers can watch that race on Friday, June 8 at 8:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.

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