By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
In a year that has set the stage for a whole new season in 2019, XFINITY Series regular Spencer Gallagher added yet another driver change for the year to come after announcing he will retire from driving at the conclusion of 2018.
Breaking the news Friday at Kansas Speedway, Gallagher will move to a managerial role with GMS Racing, the multi-series team that is owned by his father Maury.
“Trust me when I say this is the hardest decision I have ever had to make and I do not make it lightly,” Gallagher said. “At the end of the day, this came down to what do I want for my future, what do I want for GMS’ future and how can I grow this team and this sport.”
In his second full-time XFINITY season for GMS, Gallagher has earned three top fives and a victory at Talladega Superspeedway in the spring. A playoff spot, however, was removed when he was suspended for violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy and was cleared to return to the cockpit in July.
After two full seasons in both XFINITY and Camping World Trucks, Gallagher included the harsh schedule for a driver as one reason for his decision.
“Candidly, the problem with being a driver is if you’re going to be a driver, that’s generally all you can be,” he said. “If you’re going to be a driver, at least to my mind, you need to be a racecar driver from the time you wake up at 6 a.m. Monday morning to the time you go to bed at 10 p.m. Sunday night.
“There’s absolutely no off-time. You have to be totally focused and totally committed every second of the day to pushing yourself and your team to finding that last little tenth. That can be a really time-consuming process as fun as it is.”
With a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Serie start over the summer at Watkins Glen, Gallagher understands how the time consumption would only increase with a career in the Cup Series.
“It doesn’t leave a lot of room for any other ventures,” he said. “I make no bones about it I’m a businessman’s son. At the end of the day I see opportunity out here and I feel a calling within me to go chase it to benefit myself and benefit our sport.”
With concern over the growing age of NASCAR’s top owners, Gallagher is taking it upon himself to put leadership as his No. 1.
“I think, candidly, this sport could use young fresh minds in leadership roles who are not afraid to go out and try to change things up,” he said. “That’s what I see. I came here 10 years ago and I fell in love with this sport, with this business. I want to help it thrive.
“I believe, more so than in the seat, that’s where my real skill set lays.”