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GMS Racing Race Report: Talladega Superspeedway‏


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Spencer Gallagher Earns Career-best Finish at Talladega Superspeedway - Gallagher Finishes Third in Green-White-Checkered-Flag Finish

Holding off challengers in the final two laps, all while leading the outside lane and going four-wide, Spencer Gallagher finished third in the fred's 250 Powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway. With this performance, the GMS Racing driver collected his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career-best finish. The 24-year-old made his 10th career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start in the 21st position at the superspeedway, and immediately took off from his starting position, placing himself in the 17th place by Lap 5. After the day's first caution period, which included a visit to pit road for fuel only on Lap 12, Gallagher lined up in 13th-place behind GMS Racing teammate Joey Coulter on the Lap 18 restart. From that moment on, the GMS Racing duo proved they were a force to be reckoned with as Gallagher lead the contingency. Under green-flag conditions on Lap 44, Gallagher was called to pit road by crew chief Ryan Pickle London for two right-side tires and fuel. The GMS Racing twosome kept the Earnhardt-Childress Racing (ECR) Engines horsepower afloat, continuing the run inside the top 14 until the third caution flag waved on Lap 59. Gallagher brought the No. 23 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet Silverado to pit road for the final time for four tires and Sunoco fuel. Throughout the entire race, the Las Vegas driver continued his strong drive, racing inside the top-10. In a green-white-checkered-flag finish, a 17-truck pack raced three-wide during most of the final two laps and occasionally went four-wide. Several drivers attempted to make moves to pass Gallagher, but the GMS Racing driver commanded his position. Gallagher posted his career-best finish at Talladega Superspeedway as he took the checkered flag in third place. It also was his career-best restrictor-plate finish.

Gallagher gained confidence over the last couple of weeks, coming off a win at Kansas Speedway two weeks ago in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Racing Series. The finish at Talladega Superspeedway gives him that added momentum as the season continues. Gallagher will take a few weeks off before returning to the No. 23 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet Silverado at the Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway on Friday, Nov. 7.

Start - 21 Finish - 3 Laps Led - 0

Spencer Gallagher Quote:

With our Allegiant Travel Chevrolet, I had real high hopes starting from practice because I saw how it drove and saw how it sucked-up. We were tremendously fast, it was obscene.

The plate racing gods were smiling upon me in the form of this little guy right here. (Pointing to Tyler Reddick.) We found each other on the last restart, and these holes on the top just kept opening and opening. I kept filling them; he stayed behind me.

Its like I told them out there on pit road: Im pretty sure we were going to make the highlight reel one way or another coming down the frontstretch. I was happy to finish where we were.

Im pretty sure we just put on one of the best shows the (NASCAR) Camping World Truck Series has seen in a long time. I now understand why they call truck plate racing the best kind of racing.



Joey Coulter and the Allegiant Travel Team Finish 13th at Talladega Superspeedway

Joey Coulter and the Allegiant Travel team ran in the top 10 for the majority of Saturday's fred's 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Talladega Superspeedway but, lost momentum in the middle lane in the closing laps which relegated him to a 13th-place finish. After qualifying the Allegiant Travel Chevrolet the previous day, Coulter started from the 16th position and immediately merged into three-wide racing in the opening laps. The Miami Springs, Fla., driver got shuffled back to the 28th position when the first caution of the race came out on Lap 11. The Jeff Stankiewicz-led team opted to bring Coulter to pit road for four tires and fuel, helping him to restart the race on Lap 18 in 12th place with teammate Spencer Gallagher behind him. Coulter and Gallagher partnered up over the next 26 laps, sticking together and advancing up to the top ten, staying between seventh and ninth positions. Coulter was forced to make a green-flag pit stop on Lap 44, when Stankiewicz called the 24-year-old to pit road for left-side tires and fuel. Once the rest of the field cycled through the green-flag stops, Coulter was scored in the 14th position with 50 laps complete. The caution flag waved again on Lap 59, so under the yellow flag, Coulter pitted for four tires and fuel and returned to pit road the following lap to top-off with fuel. Only a few laps later on Lap 65, the caution was again displayed for a single truck incident. The GMS Racing team opted to stay out and restarted the race on Lap 70 from the 11th position. Coulter was in 11th place when a caution came out with two of the scheduled 94 laps remaining. When the field went green again on Lap 93, setting up the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish, Coulter was drafting with Gallagher once again, but the pairing was short-lived, and during the final laps, Coulter was shuffled back in the field to cross the line with a 13th-place finish.

 

Start - 16 Finish - 13 Laps Led - 0

Joey Coulter Quote:

We had a really great No. 21 Allegiant Travel Chevrolet Silverado today that was capable of a top five finish for sure. ECR Engines gave us great power and the guys at the GMS Racing shop gave me something I could win with. When it came down to the end, I chose the wrong lane and it cost us a lot of spots. I am glad the No. 23 team and my teammate Spencer Gallagher had a good day. On to Martinsville Speedway.






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