CONCORD, North Carolina – The growth of GMS Racing over the last 18 months has not been anything but impressive.
The Statesville, North Carolina-based team owned by Allegiant Travel CEO Maury Gallagher has steadily, yet impressively built a foundation that appears headed for a direct longtime landing in NASCAR.
Slowly, Gallagher began to build his empire on the west coast, before advancing the career of his charismatic son Spencer Gallagher to the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. With the team building a successful and competitive platform, the team eventually lifted from contenders to winners.
Spencer Gallagher, the Las Vegas, Nevada native while earning a positive reputation as one of the most unique and uplifting persons in the garage scored his first career win last October at Kansas Speedway.
Taking a bold step with the leadership of some of the most experienced in today’s world of NASCAR, GMS Racing set ground on building, maintaining and producing a competitive foray in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
With Gallagher and drivers Joey Coulter and Max Gresham set to ride, the eventual name of Gallagher Motorsports faded to what has become GMS Racing.
In their inaugural season, the team obviously persevered through growing pains, but with the defiance of Coulter, the team produced a competitive third place finish at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, site of Coulter’s lone NASCAR win in 2012. Even Gallagher’s part-time schedule in trucks produced a worthy then career-best run of fifth at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway last fall.
The writing on the wall began to become more permanent, GMS Racing wasn’t just a team that was here for fun.
They were here to build a foundation.
A winning one.
The team took steps towards making their dream a reality with the hiring of successful NASCAR icon Mike Beam, who bolstered a successful career at Roush Fenway Racing, among others to earn the position of director of competition last year.
Beam’s vision, leadership and ideas elevated the program to anything but a sophomore slump.
”When GMS Racing was started a couple years back there was a vision of how we wanted to build a successful race team,” said Beam. “The success that GMS Racing has had in just a short period of time is in large part due to the outstanding people that we have working at GMS Racing. GMS Racing has been very fortunate to have a number of great marketing partners such as Allegiant Travel, Alamo Rental Car, Rheem Manufacturing, Inc., Champion Generator just to name a few.”
A relationship with Richard Childress Racing has paid dividends with the team’s second truck. The No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado has seen several of RCR’s mainstay drivers funneled through with exemplary results.
With the combination of brothers Austin and Ty Dillon and the addition of rising star Brandon Jones, GMS Racing’s succession was not only transparent with the second truck, but also in the team’s primary mold with Gallagher in the No. 23.
The team’s clot took a steep rise just two weeks ago when Austin Dillon guided GMS Racing to the team’s first win in the UNOH 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. A dominate truck propelled Dillon to capture the pole and lead 80 laps en route to the team’s first triumph.
Next week, the team will earn the title as champions as Grant Enfinger has carried the team’s ARCA legacy to new heights.
With a series-high six victories and a commanding 320-point lead over his next competitor. Enfinger, who works daily in the GMS shop just has to start next Friday night’s season finale at Kansas Speedway to earn the team the championship crown.
In perspective, the team’s recent successful growth and churning of the path has expanded the vision of the organization which eyes a road to the NASCAR XFINITY Series next season, GMS Racing officials told CATCHFENCE.com.
Of course, the team is prepared to fuse their next challenge together much like the way they’ve built their other effective racing programs.
In August, the team announced a partnership with Steve and Stephen Leavitt creating Leavitt GMS Performance. The company specializes in chassis construction for many of NASCAR’s various racing division, as well as the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.
It’s because of that partnership, GMS Racing is hopeful for a six to 10 race NASCAR XFINITY Series trial run next season, with a full schedule on radar for 2017.
“Because some of the early success that we have had, and some of the great talent that we have been able to attract, this will allow GMS Racing to expand much quicker than everyone had expected,” added Beam.
It only seems fitting that the team’s catchphrase on their team tees-shirts boasts “Run GMS.”
At the pace they’re going, the fuel tank appears anything less than empty and in today’s economic crunch that isn’t a bad thing.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
