Gallagher Scores Track-Best 12th-Place Finish in Texas - Speedway Digest

Spencer Gallagher, driver of the No. 23 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet, scored a track-best finish at the Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) in the WinStar World Casino 400. The result is the Las Vegas native’s best finish in two-career starts in the Lone Star State, and his third consecutive top-15 finish.

Starting from the 13th position, Gallagher battled a tight condition from the event’s outset. Before the race’s first caution at lap 21, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender reported his tight condition from the center off was a “five out of 10”, hindering him from maintaining a top-10 running position. On lap 62, the handling condition was the cause of a flat right front tire, which relegated him to the 18th position, one lap down to the leaders.

Just past the halfway point, contact from the No. 07 truck turned Gallagher sideways, but he avoided contact and pitted for four tires and continued chassis adjustments. Through the race’s final 60-plus laps, Gallagher raced valiantly for the Lucky Dog position, and ultimately advanced inside the top-15 through a round of green flag pit stops with under 45 laps to go. Quick pit work, and an improved balance helped Gallagher take the checkered flag in 12th position, behind race winner, Matt Crafton.

“Our GMS Racing team endured a lot this evening, kept working, and got a respectable finish,” stated Gallagher. “The Allegiant Travel Chevrolet was just too tight as we went farther into a fuel run. Unfortunately, we had a right front tire go down as a result, which put us behind, then got turned around, but these guys continued to make strides on our balance. (Crew chief) Jeff (Stankiewicz) did a great job getting aggressive with the timing of our pit stops to try and regain track position. We’re earning consistent finishes, and we’ll head to Gateway (Motorsports Park) to try to continue to improve our program.”

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.