FANTASY NASCAR Racin

MAURICE J GALLAGHER JR - 5/27/1949 - is a commercial airline entrepreneur and current CEO and Chairman of Allegiant Air. Prior to Allegiant, he co-founded and invested in WestAir and ValuJet. Gallagher was a founder of WestAir, which operated from 1978 through 1992. He served as Vice President-Finance of the parent company of WestAirCommuter Holdings, Inc. from 1979 until 1982. Gallagher also was a member of the investment group that founded ValuJet Airlines, Inc. (one of the predecessors to AirTran Airways, Inc.) and served as a board member of ValuJet from its inception in 1993 until 1997. Gallagher is known today as the CEO and Chairman of Allegiant Travel Company, and its major subsidiary, Allegiant Air. Gallagher was the major creditor of the then small, Fresno-based scheduled airline in 2000 when it declared bankruptcy. He gained control of the airline as a result of the bankruptcy and later became CEO and Chairman. The airline changed headquarters to Las Vegas and eventually changed its business model of flying older large commercial aircraft from small cities around the US to large leisure destinations. Gallagher formed Gallagher Motor Sports (GMS) around 2006 when Gallagher helped local driver and friend Spencer Clark gain K&N Pro Series East and Xfinity Series

rides. The team entered ARCA competition in 2011, NASCAR Truck Competition in 2013, and Xfinity Series competition in 2016. Maury Gallagher initially fielded cars for his son Spencer who started out racing in the ARCA Series in 2012. Spencer performed well in the six starts he made in cars fielded by his father posting three finishes inside the top ten. Gallagher's numbers improved in 2013, scoring five top 5s and eight top 10s, but missing two races to finish 10th in points. GMS also branched out into NASCAR in 2013. They began fielding vehicles for the NASCAR Truck Series with Spencer driving three races. Gallagher returned for 2014 and raced in both the NASCAR Truck Series and also the ARCA Series, sponsored by Allegiant and Alamo Rent a Car. The team acquired the

assets of Richard Childress Racing's truck series program, and entered a technical alliance with the organization. In October 2014, Spencer got his first win in the 20th and final race of the ARCA season, the ARCA 98.9 at Kansas Speedway. Gallagher started 32nd, and led the final 32 laps of the race. In 2015, former crew chief Mike Beam became competition director, while RCR and manufacturer Chevrolet increased their technical support. In 2015 Grant Enfinger was brought in full time to wheel the #23 machine in the ARCA Series, and it was a great season. Enfinger would win the season opening three races and add three more wins before the seasons end. He also had four second place finishes and easily won the ARCA Championship. Spencer Gallagher meanwhile would move

full time to the Truck Series. He had a season best finish of second coming at Gateway. GMS also fielded a second effort in the Truck Series with several drivers sharing the ride. Brandon Jones drove 17 of the 23 races and had a best finish of second on two occasions. 2016 saw GMS step away from the ARC Series to concentrate more on it's Truck Series program and it made it's first foray into the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The truck program would make a big leap forward and expand to a four truck operation. Spencer drove the #23 truck full time; while Ben Kennedy drove the #33. Johnny Sauter was hired to drive the #21 for the full season also. The #24 truck was split between several drivers including Grant Enfinger, Kaz Grala; Kyle Larson; Shane Lee and Clint Bowyer. On the season, Spencer would post a best finish of second at Talladega

and finish 12th in the points. Ben Kennedy would win at Bristol while the #24 saw several of it's drivers visit victory lane. Kyle Larson won at Eldora on the dirt and Enfinger grabbed the win at Talladega. Sauter proved his worth to the team as a top gun. He kicked off the season winning the opening race at Daytona, and followed that up later in the season with back to back wins at Martinsville and Texas. He would go on to claim the 2016 Championship. In 2017 Spencer departed the truck operation to concentrate on racing in the Xfinity Series. He found the competition much tougher than at the truck level as he was only able to post one Top 10 and finished 19th in points. In the Truck series Kaz Grala was back to give it another go in the #33; while defending Champion Sauter was also

back. Justin Haley was hired to wheel the #24 vehicle. Sauter posted four wins, but at the Championship race in Miami, Sauter run up against a tough competitor in Christopher Bell. Bell finished second in the race to win the Championship while Sauter finished right behind. Grala was able to post a win as the season opened at Daytona, and Chase Elliott added a win at Martinsville. 2018 saw more struggles in the Xfinity Series. Spencer did manage to claim his and the teams first Xfinity series win at Talladega; but they only managed six Top 5 finishes. One of the 'feel good' stories for GMS in 2018 was the return of Bill Elliott behind the wheel of a race car. When Bill had quit driving he had never "retired". Someone tossed out as idea to have Bill drive the #23 Xfinity car at the road course of Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI. First it was kind of a joke; but it took hold and before long it was a serious plan. Bill ran a good race; even getting up into the Top 10 on occasion; but late it the race it got rough and he got spun out a couple times by other drivers and "officially"

finish his final career NASCAR race in 20th place. The trucks continued to be strong and GMS was as strong as ant team on the track. Justin Haley ran the #24 full time and he put that truck in Victory lane on three occasions. Timothy Peters shared the #25 ride with Dalton Sargent; and Peters was able to get a win at Talladega. Sauter looks to be the best in the business in 2018 as he racked up six wins including picking up another win at Daytona. Sauter and Haley both made it to the final race at Miami to compete for the Championship and their teams looked head and shoulders above the rest. But on race weekend the teams didn't show the dominance they had shown all season. Haley started fourth and Sauter sixth; but when the green flag dropped they fell back. At the end of stage

one only Haley was running inside the Top 10; and at the end of Stage two Haley was eighth while Sauter could only muster being in tenth. That was as good as it would get the rest of the night as they just were never fast and Brett Moffitt went on to claim the Championship. Spencer Gallagher would retire from racing at the end of the 2018 season to concentrate more on the business end of the GMS race program. In early 2019 it was announced that GMS Racing had started a Chevrolet development program,

Drivers Edge Development, with JR Motorsports. Drivers in the program would race in GMS Racing's NASCAR K&N Pro Series, ARCA Menards Series, and NASCAR Truck Series; as well as JR Motorpsorts's Late Model and NASCAR Xfinity Series teams. They would be mentored by Mardy Lindley (GMS crew chief). GMS Racing drivers John Hunter Nemechek, Sheldon Creed, and Sam Mayer were among the inaugural members of the program. Thus the ARCA program was revived in 2019. Sheldon Creed made one start and finished second. Young driver Sam Mayer made eight ARCA starts. Of those he finished in the Top 5 seven times. His only one finish not in the top five was due to a mechanical failure. John Hunter Nemechek was hired to drive the Xfinity series car in 2019. The team had signs it

could be competitive; as John Hunter had a second and a couple third place runs. Still the Xfinity team just never had shown it could be competitive like the truck program had. At the end of the 2019 season it was announced that the Xfinity program would be shut down to concentrate solely on the GMS truck teams. At the start of 2019 in a surprising move GMS dismissed Johnny Sauter and hired Brett Moffitt to fill the seat. Sheldon Creed was brought in to drive the second team truck. Creed had shown great promise in the ARCA Series and won the ARCA Championship in 2018. It took a bit for Creed to gain his footing in the trucks; but by seasons end he was

consistently in the Top 10. In the truck seasons final nine races he posted two second place finishes along with four Top 5's and seven Top 10's. The other two finishes were 11th and 12th. So it is expected Creed will be a championship contender for 2020. Moffitt would run off four wins in 2019 but once again in the Championship race at Miami. The GMS team just didn't have the speed to keep up with the front runners as Moffitt finished fifth in the race and third in the points standings. Gallaghers entrance into the drivers development program showed promise right away. Sam Mayer drove the #31 in the K&N Series and the fifteen year old showed he could drive. He

started the season with a fourth place finish at New Smyrna Fl and the next week picked up the win at Bristol. There was a double header with "Twin 100's" at South Boston the next event where he picked up a second followed by an eleventh place finish. It would be his only race not in the Top 5 all year. He won again at Iowa and Bristol and closed out the season with another win at Dover; claiming the 2019 Championship. For 2020 GMS had Creed in the #2 truck. New comer Tyler Ankrum behind the controls of the #26, and Brett Moffitt again at the keyboard the #23 truck. Zane Smith also run full time racing the #21 truck. Sam Mayer and David Gravel shared duties driving the #24 truck. For 2020 GMS got out of racing in the Xfinity Series entirely. They put all their efforts into NASCAR's Truck Series and had some of the top trucks

in the series. They had four full time Truck teams with Tyler Ankrum, Sheldon Creed, Brett Moffitt, and Zane Smith as their full time drivers. They also had a fifth himself into the Championship race at Phoenix. Zane Smith grabbed two wins in 2020 as he visited victory lane at Michigan and Dover. He had seven Top 5 and 13 Top 10's and also made it to the Championship race. Finally Sheldon Creed had a great season. He put up five wins for GMS; including a win at Phoenix to claim the 2020 Championship. GMS drivers finished first through third in the final season points standings. For the season they had ten wins and 33 Top 5 results. Creed, Smith and Ankrum would return to the Truck Series full time in 2021. Brett Moffitt is moving up to Our Motorsports to race full time in the Xfinity Series

freeing up the #23; and it is rumored Chase Purdy will field that truck full time. The #24 will be driven for seven races by Raphael Lessard; and his crew is looking for additional funding to try and run the full series. It was later announced that Moffitt would do double duty racing full time in the Xfinity Series; and also full time in the Truck Series for the Championship. He will be driving for Niece Motorsports in the Truck Series. GMS had a full line up of drivers for 2021. Sheldon Creed wheeled the #2 truck; while Tyler Ankrum was at the controls of the #26. Zane Smith was the pilot of the #21 and Chase Purdy drove the #23. Creed would produce the best results as he went to victory lane three times, and had nine Top 5’s. Smith also visited victory circle when he won at Martinsville. Ankrum had a best finish of third (twice), and Purdy had a best finish of sixth. They also had a #24 truck that drivers

shared. Six different drivers sat behind the wheel, and Chase Elliott did the best with a second place finish at Texas. For the season their drivers combined for four wins, 17 Top 5 and 36 Top 10’s. Creed headed to the Xfinity series for 2022. No one drove the #2 in 2022. Zane Smith moved to drive the #38 truck for Front Row Motorsports. Grant Enfinger came over to wheel the #23 truck full time, and Jack Wood raced full time in the #24. Looks like the biggest news out of GMS is that they have decided “now” is the time to go Cup racing. Even BIGGER news was that they bought a majority in Richard Petty Motorsports. So, as the 2022 season kicked off they had two Charters, with their drivers being Ty Dillon and Erik

Jones. In the Truck series, Enfinger got off to a slow start; crashing out at Daytona; and then finishing 11th at Las Vegas. But as the season progressed, he started picking up steam. At Atlanta he finished 12th; and followed that with a tenth place run at COTA. The next two events he posted eighth place finishes each race; and would then add a third place finish the two races after that. It seemed the team was getting on a roll; and they almost pulled off the win, finishing second at Charlotte. Enfinger ran well enough he pointed his way into the play-

offs, and as the Chase started, he grabbed a win at Indianapolis Raceway Park; automatically advancing him into the semi-final round. But a 29th place finish at Talladega derailed his bid for the Championship and he was eliminated from contention the race before the finale'. He would end up seventh in the season points. On the other hand; Wood was learning the ropes of the NASCAR series and struggled. He crashed out of four of the first five events; but finished 13th in the other one. After that, the next eight races in a row, he was running when the checkered flag flew; albeit around 20th position. Then he had another stint where he crashed out three races in a

row, before he finished all the last seven races of the season. He wasn't able to post a top ten result, as his best finish came at Atlanta, where he placed 13th. As for his first year venturing into the Cup series; it came with mixed results. Erik Jones drove the #43 car and posted three top five finishes. He did surprise everyone with a great run at Darlington, when he won the Southern 500. 16 different drivers won in the regular season, and this win came as the Chase had already began, thus he failed to make the play-offs. Ty Dillon drove the #42 car in 2022, and had miserable results. He started the season with an 11th place finish at Daytona; but was only able to post one top ten

the entire season; a tenth at Bristol on the dirt. It was announced before the season's end that Dillon would be let go and a replace found for 2023. Noah Gragson ended up being that guy. Some other big news as the season wound down, saw Jimmie Johnson announce he was done racing full time on the Indy Car circuit. He also bought a share of the ownership of Petty GMS Racing and would drive select races in the Cup Series in 2023. Johnson coming on board should have allowed Petty GMS to show even more improvement over 2022, as Johnson had a lot of talent and experience he can share with Jones and Gragson. Before

the season started; and after Johnson come on board; Petty GMS changed their name to Legacy Motor Club. So in 2023 GMS 'officially' was just running in the Truck series. 2023 saw GMS field three trucks in that series. Enfinger would claim three wins, and make it to the final race to run for the championship. He battled Ben Rhodes for the win and was ahead of him late in the running, then the race went into overtime. In those ‘extra’ laps Rhodes was able to get by Enfinger to claim the championship, with Grant being second. Enfinger would post nine top five and 13 top ten finishes. Enfinger’s wins came at Kansas, St Louis and Milwaukee. Daniel Dye drove a second GMS truck. In his first year the Rookie had a best finish of sixth, coming at Talladega. He had eleven top 20 finishes. Rajah Caruth was as the controls of GMS’ third truck. He had

four top ten finishes, with a best finish of sixth coming at Darlington and at Bristol. His worst finish the season’s last seven races was 14th, so he had clearly developed and learned over the course of the year. He had twelve top 15 finishes on the season. With GMS shutting down, that left all of their drivers searching for a ride in 2024. So far we know that Grant Enfinger will drive the #9 in the Truck series for CR7 Motorsports. Daniel Dye will drive for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, also in the Truck series. So far no plans announced for Caruth. A true powerhouse organization, from the team’s first race in 2014 to present

day, GMS Racing has solidified itself in the record book as one of the most storied organizations in the Truck Series. Starting with humble beginnings, the team grew immensely under the tutelage of Maury Gallagher, Mike Beam, and Ron Booth, all who have been instrumental to the team’s success. Gallagher bought into part ownership of the newly formed Legacy Motor Club which first started running in the Cup series in 2023. With his involvement there, he decided to close down GMS. Gallagher Motorsports accounted for a total of 71 race victories (one in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, 45 in the NASCAR Truck

Series, 15 in the ARCA Menards Series, nine in the ARCA Menards Series East, and one in the ARCA Menards Series West), 42 pole positions (28 in the Truck Series, seven in ARCA, four in ARCA East, and three in ARCA West), 260 top-fives and 465 top-10 finishes in nearly 1,000 combined starts. GMS Racing was a five-time championship-winning team, conquering the 2015 ARCA Menards Series title, 2016 and 2020 NASCAR Truck Series championships, as well as the 2019 and 2020 ARCA Menards Series East championships, delivered by Grant Enfinger, Johnny Sauter, Sheldon Creed, and Sam Mayer, respectively.