NORTH HIGHLAND, California – 25 year-old Mike Gallegos of Wheat Ridge, CO continued his standout season in the NASCAR Camping World Series West on Friday night at Irwindale Speedway, scoring a seventh place finish.
Gallegos, a member of Drive for Diversity, picked up his fifth straight oval top-ten in the California Highway Patrol 200 for Fourth of July.
“We needed this seventh place finish and we picked up a lot of momentum on Moses Smith,” Gallegos said. “I just need to step up the game in qualifying and Rob gave me a good piece.”
The Rob Dixon owned RTD Motorsports, Inc. Chevrolet was qualified in the 14th position. The seventh place finish moved the team into a tie for seventh with Smith in the 2008 standings.
The 200 lap event was split into two segments, and after the lap 100 break adjustments on the car proved to be in the wrong direction.
A very tight race car put Gallegos on the tail end of the lead lap before a much needed caution flag bunched the field up.
On cooler tires, Gallegos was able to move up into the seventh position to the finish.
“We just have to keep working hard,” Gallegos said. “The team is capable of top-fives and with that you get in position for wins.”
Gallegos will now set forth on a busy summer schedule for RTD Motorsports, Inc., heading to Roseburg, OR this Friday night. After a week off, the team will race in Washington on July 26 and in Utah the following weekend.
“I have very good equipment and the pressure is on me now,” Gallegos said. “I want to do a good job for my guys.”
