Tanner Sean Gray (born April 15, 1999) is an American professional racing driver who has competed in drag racing and stock car racing. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 15 Toyota Tundra for Tricon Garage and part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 18 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Gray is the youngest professional driver to win a national event in NHRA history, and the youngest driver to win a solo NHRA season championship.[1]
Tanner Gray | |||||||
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![]() Gray at Martinsville Speedway in 2024 | |||||||
Born | Tanner Sean Gray April 15, 1999 Artesia, New Mexico, U.S. | ||||||
Achievements | 2018 NHRA Pro Stock champion | ||||||
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career | |||||||
110 races run over 6 years | |||||||
Truck no., team | No. 15 (Tricon Garage) | ||||||
2023 position | 14th | ||||||
Best finish | 14th (2020, 2023) | ||||||
First race | 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 (Martinsville) | ||||||
Last race | 2024 Clean Harbors 250 (Richmond) | ||||||
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ARCA Menards Series career | |||||||
19 races run over 4 years | |||||||
ARCA no., team | No. 18 (Joe Gibbs Racing) | ||||||
Best finish | 19th (2019, 2020) | ||||||
First race | 2019 Pensacola 200 (Pensacola) | ||||||
Last race | 2024 Henry Ford Health 200 (Michigan) | ||||||
First win | 2024 General Tire 150 (Charlotte) | ||||||
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ARCA Menards Series East career | |||||||
13 races run over 2 years | |||||||
Best finish | 3rd (2019) | ||||||
First race | 2019 New Smyrna 175 (New Smyrna) | ||||||
Last race | 2020 Skip's Western Outfitters 175 (New Smyrna) | ||||||
First win | 2019 Who's Your Driver Twin 100s (South Boston) | ||||||
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ARCA Menards Series West career | |||||||
5 races run over 1 year | |||||||
Best finish | 13th (2019) | ||||||
First race | 2019 ENEOS NAPA Auto 150 (Irwindale) | ||||||
Last race | 2019 Monaco Cocktails Gateway Classic 125 (Gateway) | ||||||
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Statistics current as of August 10, 2024. |
Racing career
editDrag racing
edit2017 marked the first year for Gray racing in the Pro Stock class within the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series alongside his father Shane Gray.
Gray made NHRA history 13 days before his 18th birthday at the 18th Annual Denso Spark Plug Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on April 2, 2017, by winning the final round against Bo Butner. He was 17 years, 11 months, and 18 days which was younger than 40-year record holder Jeb Allen, who was 18 years, 1 month, and 8 days.[1]
He won the 2017 Auto Club Road to the Future Award. The award is given to the top rookie from all of the sport's pro categories, including Pro Stock Motorcycle, Top Fuel and Funny Car.[2]
In 2018, Gray won 8 times en route to the Pro Stock title, becoming the youngest ever NHRA season champion.[3]
ARCA Series
edit2019-2020: DGR-Crosley
editOn September 25, 2018, Gray announced he would race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for DGR-Crosley in 2019.[4] The move came after Gray had met team owner David Gilliland in summer 2018.[5] He picked up his first win at South Boston Speedway in early May.[6]
In December 2019, the team announced that he would continue to drive in the East Series, now the ARCA Menards Series East, part-time in 2020, as well as part-time in the big 20-race ARCA Menards Series,[7] where he would share the full-time No. 17 car with his younger brother Taylor (who ran the Sioux Chief Showdown races) and Anthony Alfredo.
2021: David Gilliland Racing
editGray returned to the ARCA Menards Series in 2021, running the season-opener at Daytona, finishing 7th.
2024: Joe Gibbs Racing
editOn December 13, 2023, it was announced that Gray will return to the ARCA Menards Series and run six races in 2024, driving the No. 18 car for Joe Gibbs Racing. He will run at the tracks 1.5 miles and longer, since the original driver of the car, William Sawalich, is ineligible to race at those tracks due to his age.[8]
NASCAR Truck Series
edit2019–2020: DGR-Crosley
editIn October 2019, Gray made his NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series debut with DGR-Crosley at Martinsville Speedway in the No. 15 Toyota Tundra; running a three-race schedule, he also competed in the ISM Raceway and Homestead–Miami Speedway events in the No. 7.[9][10]
On December 16, 2019, DGR-Crosley announced Gray would run full-time and for rookie of the year in the Truck Series in 2020, driving the team's No. 15 truck,[11] now a Ford F-150 after the team switched from Toyota to Ford in the offseason. Gray had a decent rookie season, earning eight top tens and four top fives, finishing 14th in the point standings and 5th in Rookie of the Year standings.
2021–2022: David Gilliland Racing
editHe returned to the team for 2021, under the new name David Gilliland Racing.[12] He would have an abysmal season, only earning two top tens and finishing 18th in points.
He improved significantly in 2022, which included three consecutive top ten finishes in the first three races of the season.[13] He earned six top tens and two top fives throughout the season, improving to a 15th place points finish.
2023–present: TRICON Garage
editOctober 27, 2022, David Gilliland Racing announced that they will be moving to Toyota Racing Development in 2023, and rename to Tricon Garage (with Tricon styled in all-capital letters). Gray would remain as one of the drivers for the team.[14] He started the 2023 season with a career-best 2nd place finish at Daytona, only behind race winner Zane Smith.[15] He would also score his first career pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, with a lap of 29.936, and a speed of 180.385 mph (290.302 km/h).[16] He finished the season 14th in points.
Other racing
editGray has raced in different types of cars, including Late models, modifieds, Midget cars, and stock cars. He has raced on oval dirt tracks in the area of Mooresville, including racing in the Mini Outlaw Karts category alongside Kyle Larson and Rico Abreu on Wednesday nights at Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury.
Personal life
editGray was born April 15, 1999, to professional drag racer and national event champion Shane Gray and his wife Amber of Artesia, New Mexico. He is the grandson of funny car and pro stock champion Johnny Gray, making Tanner a third-generation Gray to race in the NHRA. In addition to racing, Johnny Gray was the president of Marbob Energy, the New Mexico oil producer co-founded by his father. Gray and his sister sold the company in 2010 for $1.7 billion in proceeds.[17] Since 2021, Johnny Gray has co-owned Tricon Garage.[18]
The Gray family moved from New Mexico to Mooresville, North Carolina in 2010 so that Shane Gray could pursue a career as a professional drag racer in the NHRA. Tanner's younger brother, Taylor Gray, is also a NASCAR and ARCA driver for Tricon Garage and currently competes full-time for them in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as well as part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, both in the No. 17 car.
Motorsports career results
editNASCAR
edit(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Craftsman Truck Series
edit* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points
K&N Pro Series West
editNASCAR K&N Pro Series West results | ||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | NKNPSWC | Pts | Ref |
2019 | DGR-Crosley | 15 | Toyota | LVS | IRW 2 |
TUS 2 |
TUS 2 |
CNS | SON | DCS | IOW 6 |
EVG | GTW 15 |
MER | AAS | KCR | PHO | 13th | 195 | [25] |
ARCA Menards Series
edit(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
ARCA Menards Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | AMSC | Pts | Ref |
2019 | DGR-Crosley | 54 | Toyota | DAY | FIF 12 |
SLM 7 |
TAL | NSH | TOL 8 |
CLT 6 |
POC | MCH 5 |
MAD | GTW 17 |
CHI 15 |
ELK | IOW | POC | ISF | DSF | SLM | IRP | KAN 6 |
19th | 1440 | [26] |
2020 | 17 | Ford | DAY 16 |
PHO 4 |
TAL 13 |
POC 15 |
IRP | KEN 9 |
IOW | KAN 5 |
TOL | TOL | MCH | DRC | GTW | I44 | TOL | BRI | WIN | MEM | ISF | KAN | 19th | 203 | [27] | |
2021 | David Gilliland Racing | DAY 7 |
PHO | TAL | KAN | TOL | CLT | MOH | POC | ELK | BLN | IOW | WIN | GLN | MCH | ISF | MLW | DSF | BRI | SLM | KAN | 76th | 38 | [28] | ||
2024 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 18 | Toyota | DAY 24 |
PHO | TAL 3 |
DOV | KAN 2* |
CLT 1 |
IOW | MOH | BLN | IRP | SLM | ELK | MCH 3* |
ISF | MLW | DSF | GLN | BRI | KAN | TOL | -* | -* | [29] |
ARCA Menards Series East
editARCA Menards Series East results | ||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | AMSEC | Pts | Ref |
2019 | DGR-Crosley | 15 | Toyota | NSM 12 |
BRI 10 |
SBO 1* |
SBO 4 |
MEM 3 |
NHA 5 |
IOW 6 |
GLN 11 |
BRI 6 |
GTW 15 |
NHA 2 |
DOV 2 |
3rd | 458 | [30] |
2020 | 17 | Ford | NSM 18 |
TOL | DOV | TOL | BRI | FIF | 47th | 26 | [31] |
References
edit- ^ a b Benson, Candida (April 17, 2017). "Youngest Pro winners". NHRA. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ^ "Gray earns 2017 Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award". November 13, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- ^ "Tanner Gray,19, wins Pro Stock title to become youngest NHRA season champion". USA Today. November 10, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "Tanner Gray to transition to NASCAR K&N East Series". Retrieved September 26, 2018.
- ^ Crandall, Kelly (January 23, 2020). "NASCAR podcast: Tanner Gray". RACER. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- ^ Segal, Davey. "NHRA champion Tanner Gray earns maiden NASCAR K&N East victory at South Boston". Autoweek. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
- ^ "Gray set to run full Truck series schedule in 2020". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. December 16, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- ^ Branscum, Benjamine (December 13, 2023). "Joe Gibbs Racing, William Sawalich Team Up For 2024 ARCA Menards Series Schedule, Add Tanner Gray To Driver Lineup". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ "Tanner Gray to make Truck Series debut in Martinsville". DGR-Crosley. October 16, 2019.
- ^ Boarman, John (November 4, 2019). "Tanner Gray driving fifth DGR truck to finish season". Tireball.
- ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (December 16, 2019). "Tanner Gray to race Truck full-time in 2020 for DGR-Crosley". NBC Sports.
- ^ Renck, Tracy (January 13, 2021). "Tanner Gray Preparing For Second Season in NASCAR's Camping World Truck Series". Competition Plus. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Christie, Toby (November 11, 2021). "Jerry Baxter Moving to Tanner Gray, No. 15 David Gilliland Racing Truck Team in 2022". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Toyota Racing Development Announces Partnership with TRICON Garage". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "Tanner Gray Earns Career-Best Finish in Tricon Debut". Speedway Digest. February 17, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ Srigley, Joseph (May 26, 2023). "Tanner Gray Notches First Career Pole in Truck Series Qualifying at Charlotte". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
- ^ "How drag racing became the sport of millionaires". Fortune.com. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- ^ "David Gilliland Partners With Johnny Gray To Form David Gilliland Racing". ARCAracing.com. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- ^ "Tanner Gray – 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ "Tanner Gray – 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
- ^ "Tanner Gray – 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Tanner Gray – 2022 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ "Tanner Gray – 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
- ^ "Tanner Gray – 2024 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ "Tanner Gray – 2019 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
- ^ "Tanner Gray – 2019 ARCA Menards Series results". Racing Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
- ^ "Tanner Gray – 2020 ARCA Menards Series results". Racing Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
- ^ "Tanner Gray – 2021 ARCA Menards Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ "Tanner Gray – 2024 ARCA Menards Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ "Tanner Gray – 2019 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- ^ "Tanner Gray – 2020 ARCA Menards Series East results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
External links
edit- Official website
- Tanner Gray driver statistics at Racing-Reference