San Jose, CA (3/03/2020) Coming into 2020 with heaps of expectations after a stellar season this past year, the two headed monster of Rob and Joe Gallaher are ready to crush expectations and their competition. The San Jose, California based Father and Son Hobby Stock team once again claimed the Ocean Speedway Hobby Stock track championship in 2019, with Rob winning his 3rd in the past 4 years, and 4th total title in the previous 6.
The anticipation is building in the Gallaher camp as we grow closer to March 13th’s season opener at Ocean, and for good reason. The team was busy in the off-season building a completely new car for the patriarch of the Gallaher family, Joe. Pre-season testing this past Thursday at Merced Speedway couldn’t have gone much better, and the early results have the team ecstatic.
Gallaher Racing’s main goal for 2020 is simple, add another title to the family’s incredible list of accomplishments. They believe that putting a concerted effort to focus almost entirely on the local points chase will go a long way in helping accomplish the feat.
If 2019 is any indication, their fellow division racers will have trouble preventing another back to back title run for the Gallahers. Rob was phenomenally consistent in his latest championship winning season, finishing outside the Top 5 only twice across his 15 feature starts. While the consistency was certainly impressive, one could argue that his 7 main event wins were an even bigger achievement.
By far, the biggest win for either driver in 2019 was Rob’s win at the illustrious Pat and Jim Pettit Shootout. The Shootout is highly regarded as the most prestigious event at their home track, and Rob’s night 1 win last year marked his 2nd triumph in the race’s 9 year history.
Joe Gallaher wasn’t far from the track title himself this past year, but multiple early season mechanical gremlins ultimately wound up being the deciding factor in the title race. Even with the early season problems, only a 19 point gap separated the two after the final race. On top of that, both Gallahers were consistent to the point that there was over a 100 point difference between championship runner up Joe Gallaher and 3rd place in points, truly showing their stranglehold on the division in 2019.
In the midst of a stellar season, Joe also picked up career wins number 2 and 3 along the way in back to back races, including what has likely become their most infamous moment sharing the track. In late June, the two were racing intensely for the win in the late going, when Joe got a little aggressive and sent his son for a spin. Joe would hold off the competition for his 2nd win of the season. Joe acknowledged on the ride home that night that he “may have that one comin’ back around”.
When asked about his thoughts on the upcoming season, an excited Rob Gallaher had this to say: “We are fired up for the 2020 season. After Merced changed their hobby rules to exclude all the other hobby stocks in the state we decided to really focus on our home track in Watsonville. We have built a whole new car for my dad to maintain the competitive edge he had before damaging his frame at the McGowan race in Bakersfield last year. He has the pep in his step again that wasn’t there at the end of last year. Winning will be commonplace for both Gallaher cars again starting 2020. We have made setup changes and drivetrain improvements to help us stay on top. We know our competition is getting better so we have to be making changes to be better too. I can’t wait to hit the dirt circle on Friday the 13th of March.”
Gallaher Racing would like to thank all of their sponsors and supporters, including:
Gallaher Company
1 Hour Drain
Tire Time
Express Car Wash
Yeti Coolers
Coors
Snap On
Built by the Captain
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