Gallagher Finishes 10th at Texas Despite Stage 2 Spin

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer

Despite an early spin, Spencer Gallagher still finished inside the top-10 at Texas Motor Speedway. Gallagher, like other NASCAR Xfinity Series regulars, had an eventful My Bariatric Solutions 300.

Gallagher’s No. 23 Allegiant Chevrolet Camaro SS ran well for much of the 300-mile race. An accident with 20 laps left in the second stage allowed crew chief Chad Norris to leave Gallagher on track. The split strategy earned the duo a top-10 finish in the stage. The split strategy ultimately allowed Gallagher to take the checkered flag in the 10^th position, the last driver on the lead lap, when the race was over.

The split strategy came after Gallagher spun while battling with Ryan Reed. Exiting turn four, the No. 23 Chevrolet spun as Reed’s Ford Mustang took the air off the right rear quarter-panel. Gallagher made light contact with the outside wall but was relatively unscathed. After the spin, the Las Vegas-native had choice words on the team radio for Reed, but never retaliated.

After bringing his car to the attention of his crew, a short five-lap run allowed Gallagher to stay on track for the end of the stage in seventh.

Although he finished inside the top-10 for the third time this season, and earned four stage points, Gallagher slipped from seventh to eighth in the Championship Points standings. He is now 54-points behind points leader Elliott Sadler and 43-points ahead of the cutoff for the Playoffs, currently held by Ross Chastain. The 10^th-place finish is also just the fifth in Gallagher’s Xfinity Series career.

Now Gallagher, Norris, and the entire GMS Racing team will prepare for the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, April 14. The race marks the first of four Xfinity Dash 4 Cash races in which Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers are ineligible to compete. Gallagher’s 10^th-place finish did not qualify him for the Dash 4 Cash next weekend.