Kaz Grala

Kaz Grala

Nationality  American
Born (1998-12-29) December 29, 1998
Boston, Massachusetts
K&N Pro Series East career
Debut season 2014
Current team Ben Kennedy Racing
Car no. 3
Engine Toyota
Best finish 7th in 2014, 2015
Finished last season 7th
Previous series
2016
2015
2015		 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
CARS Super Late Model Tour
K&N Pro Series East
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career
9 races run over 1 year
Truck no., team No. 33/24 (GMS Racing)
2016 position 28th
Best finish 28th (2016)
First race 2016 Alpha Energy Solutions 250 (Martinsville)
Last race 2016 Lucas Oil 150 (Phoenix)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 3 0
Statistics current as of November 11, 2016.

Kaz Grala (GRAW-la;[1] born December 29, 1998) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 33 and No. 24 Chevrolet Silverados for GMS Racing and part-time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for Ben Kennedy Racing driving the No. 3 Toyota Camry. He is a high school Senior from Boston, Massachusetts and currently attends Worcester Academy.

Racing career

Early career

Grala started racing go-karts at F1 Boston in Braintree, Massachusetts when he was four, and three years later, began racing competitively. When he was ten,[2] he raced Bandoleros, winning the Summer Shootout Championship in 2011. That same year, he won the New York Legendstock and the Massachusetts Bandolero Outlaws state championships.[1] In 2012, Grala won 15 races and the Winter Heat Championship at Charlotte Motor Speedway[3] in the Legend Car Pro Division.

Stock car racing

In 2013, Grala competed in the UARA-Stars Series, becoming the youngest winner in series history at Hickory Motor Speedway, followed by setting the record as the youngest driver to lead laps in the Myrtle Beach 400 at Myrtle Beach Speedway where he finished second to Lee Pulliam. The following year, he ran in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, where he became the youngest driver to compete in an International Motor Sports Association event.[3] He also joined Turner Scott Motorsports to compete full-time in the K&N Pro Series East. At the age of 15,[4] he was the youngest full-time driver in the series.[5] During the year, he competed in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and won at Caraway Speedway[6] and Martinsville Speedway. The next season, he joined Ben Kennedy Racing to race full-time in the K&N Pro Series East.[5]

Grala in the #33 Allegiant Travel Chevy Silverado at Martinsville Speedway

In 2016, Grala made his Camping World Truck Series debut at Martinsville for GMS Racing, driving the No. 33 Chevrolet.[7] After a strong run, he finished 31st due to a tire failure on lap 93.[8]

Other racing

The Change Racing Lamborghini at Daytona International Speedway in the Rolex 24

In 2016, Grala competed in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona for Change Racing alongside former Rolex 24 winners Spencer Pumpelly and Justin Marks, in addition to race newcomer Corey Lewis; at the age of 17, Grala was the youngest driver in the field.[2] The team finished 52nd overall and 18th in the GTD class as a result of a mid-race crash.[9]

Personal life

Grala's father Darius was a former sports car racer, competing in the 24 Hours of Daytona three times.[2] Grala currently attends high school at Worcester Academy[3] as a Senior. Grala is living in Westborough, Massachusetts but spends time in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Camping World Truck Series

* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

(key)

24 Hours of Daytona

References

  1. 1 2 "Kaz Grala". NASCAR Home Tracks. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Doyle, Bill (January 28, 2016). "Kaz Grala, 17, is the youngest driver at Rolex 24". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "At Just 15, Westborough's Kaz Grala A Rising Star In MotorSports". WBZ-TV. February 14, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Turner Scott Announces '14 K&N East Lineup". NASCAR Home Tracks. January 20, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Kaz Grala to Drive for Ben Kennedy Racing in 2015". Speed51. October 16, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  6. ↑ "15-Year-Old Kaz Grala Of Westborough Earns First NASCAR Win". WBZ-TV. July 9, 2014. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  7. ↑ "KYLE BUSCH, LARSON SLATED FOR MARTINSVILLE TRUCK DUTY". NASCAR. March 28, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  8. ↑ "2016 Alpha Energy Solutions 250". Racing-Reference. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
  9. ↑ "2016 Rolex 24 at Daytona". Racing-Reference. Retrieved April 5, 2016.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/20/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.