Race team founded by Las Vegan headed for Cup Series

GMS Racing, a NASCAR truck series team founded by Las Vegas businessman Maury Gallagher, appears to be heading for the top rung Cup Series in 2022.

The team put up a video teaser on its Twitter account Thursday confirming the jump. There were no details. A NASCAR source said the team was working on obtaining a NASCAR charter that would allow it to compete full-time next season as well as securing a driver or drivers.

“GMS is always looking forward and I believe this is the next step for the team in that process,” Gallagher said in a statement. “We have the goal to be a championship-caliber team in any series in which we compete, and I am excited to watch the team grow in the coming years.”

GMS, which fields trucks for drivers Sheldon Creed, Zane Smith, Chase Purdy, Tyler Ankrum and a fifth entry for various competitors, also competed in the Xfinity Series from 2016 to 2019 with Gallagher’s son, Spencer, and John Hunter Nemechek as primary drivers. GMS also competes in the ARCA Menards Series.

The team first explored the idea of jumping to the Cup Series in 2017.

“There’s a lot of things being said, but moving up to Cup, this has always been our ultimate goal,” Spencer Gallagher said at the time. “This is the deep end of the pool.”

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.