Consider some of the top teams in the truck series over the past few years. There should be a few that come to mind, such as KBM, Front Row Motorsports, and ThorSport Racing. Prior to this year, one more team should come to mind: GMS Racing. GMS Racing has been a force in the Truck Series over the past few seasons. In 2020, the team won the championship with Sheldon Creed. Meanwhile, Zane Smith and Brett Moffitt collected second and third respectively. Their worst driver that season was Tyler Ankrum, who finished ninth in points. All of their full time drivers made the playoffs. Plus, their “All-Star” truck went to victory lane twice. What a season for the team.
Fast forward to 2022. GMS Racing has reduced their team from five trucks to only two. Grant Enfinger and Jack Wood helm their two trucks. Enfinger is sitting in the second round of the playoffs while Wood has yet to record a top 10 finish. Having a truck in the playoffs is great for any team, but it is a significant decline from 2020. The decline is more drastic considering how Front Row, KBM, and ThorSport have continued their dominance over the Truck Series. How can a team that filled three-quarters of the Championship Four in 2020 fall to a one playoff team within two season?
Background on GMS Racing
Gallagher Motor Sports was formed in 2011 by Maurice Gallagher. The team ran three races in the ARCA Series with driver Spencer Gallagher, Maurice’s son, that year. From there, the team started their truck operation in 2013. 2014 saw the team form a technical alliance with RCR, which became stronger in 2015. Both Austin and Ty Dillon drove the team’s 33 truck that season, with Austin picking up the team’s first truck win at New Hampshire. Since that win, the team has collected 41 more wins, most recent was Enfinger’s at IRP earlier this year.
While mostly known for their Truck Series program, GMS still runs in the ARCA Menards Series with Daniel Dye. From 2016 to 2019, GMS had a Xfinity Series program. That program netted one win (Spencer Gallagher, 2018 Talledega) and a high of seventh in the points standings. Drivers to helm one of their Xfinity cars included John Hunter Nemechek, Justin Haley, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, and Hall of Famer Bill Elliott.
Their Truck Series program has been their bread and butter though. Johnny Sauter racked up 13 wins for the team during his three full-time seasons from 2016-2018. Justin Haley won 3 times for the team. Their part time trucks have notable names step in for certain races in most seasons, such as Chase Elliott and AJ Allmendinger. GMS has been a highly competitive truck team in their history. Yet, the present is not matching their past.
Examining 2021
2020 was a dominant year for GMS Racing. Between their five trucks, GMS racked up 10 wins, 33 Top-5s, and 49 Top-10s. Almost half of the races were won by a GMS truck. No matter the tier of series, that is impressive for one team to produce those results.
After that great season, expectations were high going into 2021. The driver lineup switched up a bit during the offseason. Brett Moffitt left the team and was replaced by Chase Purdy. Rafael Lessard was signed to run the full season for the 24 truck. GMS would be heading into 2021 with five full-time trucks. The chase for the repeat was on.
Once again, GMS demonstrated strength in the Truck Series. While Ankrum and Purdy failed to make the playoffs, Creed and Smith raced their way in. Creed failed to drive his way into the Championship Four again, leaving Smith to defend GMS’s championship. He fell short, finishing second to Ben Rhodes.
GMS still flashed their strength during the 2021 season. GMS won 4 races, finished Top-5 17 times, and finished Top-10 36 times. It does not compare to their 2020 outing, but it was still a great showing for the team. Zane Smith and Sheldon Creed did not seem to miss a beat from one year to the next. However, the same could not be said about the other drivers for GMS that year. The slow decline began in 2021.
Development Struggles
In theory, the Truck Series is the first nationally televised step on the road to becoming a NASCAR Cup Series driver. For a manufacturer, having a strong team in the Truck Series is important. GMS partnering with Jr Motorsports in 2019 for Chevy’s Drivers Edge Development Program is a significant moment for the team. The team dropped Johnny Sauter to begin bringing in more youth to their lineup. 2021 was the pinnacle of that movement.
All six GMS drivers were part of Chevy’s developmental program. Jack Wood was driving the team’s ARCA Series entry for 2021. Sheldon Creed was the oldest driver for GMS at the old age of 23.
While GMS’s statistics were solid for 2021, the bulk of that production came from Creed and Smith. Creed and Smith combined for 4 wins, 12 Top-5s, and 25 Top-10s. The other four drivers combined for only 4 Top-5s and 9 Top-10s. Ankrum and Purdy missed the playoffs. Lessard started the year off poorly but started to pull it around by the time GMS cut him from the driver lineup. Wood replaced him in the majority of races in the 24 truck, only managing a single Top-10 in 12 starts.
In one season, GMS went from five highly competitive trucks to two. Ankrum flirted with an outside chance of pointing his way into the playoffs. He missed and ultimately finished 15th in points. Purdy never found his footing during his rookie season. It was consistent struggles all year for Purdy. Only napping 2 Top-10s and 5 stage points, Purdy wound up 19th in the points for 2021. Lessard’s mild success is hollow with him losing his ride.
2021’s dip in overall team performance can be drawn up to poor driving from young prospects. It happens to teams who reset their lineup with youth. However, the greater issue appeared early in the 2021 season.
Sponsorship Woes
Sheldon Creed won the 2020 Truck Series Championship. While the Truck Series is the third tier of NASCAR, a championship win in any series is prestigious and brings recognition to team and driver. Creed’s driving ability was shining through on the track. He looked poised to move up to Xfinity in short order. With all of the hype and recognition Creed received after winning the championship, it would be easy to assume Creed would have full year sponsorship in 2021. However, that was not the case.
Creed raced a plain white paint scheme for the NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona for the opening race of the season. There were sponsors on the truck, but the plain scheme clearly screams that sponsorship came late in the preparation for the race. It was reminiscent of teams who would race their way into the Daytona 500 without a sponsor then find one after the Duals. In both instances, the teams grab the decal and slap it onto the car/truck. Unfortunately, Creed drove a blank truck two times early in the 2021 season. The first coming in the second race at the Daytona Road Course then at Kansas. There would have been a third if not for Marcus Lemonis sponsoring spamming the Camping World colors and logo all over the entry list.
Zane Smith also faced the same sponsorship issues Creed did. At Bristol Dirt and Spring Darlington, Smith’s truck failed to feature a sponsor on it. Chevy had to step up numerous times to sponsor Creed and Smith during 2021. One could consider that an internal sponsorship, which is not great for the bottom line. Sponsorships were clearly an issue for GMS.
While Creed and Smith were still able to run the full season, Raphael Lessard was not so lucky. When Lessard originally signed with GMS, it was a part time deal for 12 races due to a lack of funding. By January 2021, GMS announced Lessard would race full time after securing funding. Whatever that funding Lessard found for 2021 vanished quickly. After 7 races, Lessard’s sponsors backed out due to economic issues from the COVID-19 pandemic. Lessard was out and Jack Wood was brought in. Due to the economics of NASCAR, a driver finding his groove was subbed out for an unknown commodity.
From the original lineup, only Chase Purdy (Bama Buggies) and Tyler Ankrum (LiUNA!) had full season funding. That funding walked out the door after the 2021 season as Ankrum and Purdy left GMS and Chevy completely for Toyota’s Hattori Racing. The 2022 lineup reflects the need for funding. Grant Enfinger brings Champion Power Equipment as a significant sponsor. Jack Wood remains with Chevrolet footing the bill for their developmental driver. The other three trucks were shut down for the season. In one year, GMS went from five full-time trucks to two.
Running a NASCAR team is an expensive endeavor. Piecing together the driving lineup factors in more than talent. Money plays a huge factor in who drives where. GMS had to fall adjust their lineups in 2021 and 2022 for financial reasons. Reviewing their 2020 lineup, the three Championship Four drivers were ones who struggled to find consistent funding.
Spreading Too Thinly
GMS has seen a dip in driver performance and funding in 2021. Their top two drivers fail to secure consistent funding. They have to split with a driver over lack of financial support backing him. The remaining two drivers are under performing. Seems like a perfect time to expand into the Cup Series.
GMS announced in June 2021 that they would be starting a Cup Series team. In October, Ty Dillon was announced as the driver of their full-time 94 entry. Shortly after, the big news dropped: GMS bought a majority ownership stake in Richard Petty Motorsports for $19 million. The newly minted Petty GMS Motorsports was running two full-time Cup Series entries with the 94 changing to the 42.
Running in the Cup Series is a huge step up for a team. There are 14 more races in the Cup Series schedule. The operating expenses increase, which means a team needs sponsors that will pay more compared to the Truck Series. Valuable resources are spent quicker when running multiple series. While GMS was merging with Petty’s existing Cup Series operation, GMS had to adjust their focus to split it between the Cup, Trucks, and ARCA series. Based on the results of 2022, it looks like the trucks have been neglected.
Other than the his weird 2021, Grant Enfinger is having his worst statistical season (especially during the regular season). He pointed his way into playoffs with only 3 Top-5s. His average finish has been higher than any of his previous seasons with ThorSport (not including 2021). When Enfinger drove well, it felt abnormal. The headline truck at GMS was not racing as a top contender on a weekly basis. The second truck is outside the Top-20 in the points standings. For as dominant as GMS had been in the recent past, the team was becoming an afterthought in the Truck Series.
Since the playoffs started, Enfinger’s performance has stepped up with four consecutive Top-5s. Enfinger won the first race of the playoffs at IRP. Over the past four races, Enfinger’s truck has seemingly looked faster. GMS only made the playoffs in the Truck Series. With only one vehicle in the playoffs, it seems that the 23 truck has received more attention. GMS has likely shifted more of their resources and energy into helping Enfinger’s chase for the championship.
Without working for the GMS team, it is difficult to determine how resources are spread between the Cup Series teams and the Truck Series teams. The upper management of GMS surely has their hands in both operations. How thinly is that time and energy spread between the two? Until the playoffs, it seemed very thin on the side of the truck teams. An adjustment was needed for Enfinger to be a legitimate contender. It appears that adjustment happened.
The results in 2022 have not been up to GMS standards. Even if Enfinger ends up as champion in 2022, GMS should be more than a one truck team. Can the team bounce back in 2023 with two competitive trucks? Time will tell, but the looming KBM switch to Chevrolet might hurt those bounce back chances. Would Chevy split their Drivers Edge program between GMS and KBM? Based on 2022’s results, Chevy’s decision seem clear.
