Kaz Grala’s road to becoming a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor was one of the most unconventional roller-coaster rides a driver could experience.
What started in 2016 as a part-time schedule with GMS Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, turned into a full-time gig with the organization one season later.
At age 18, Grala found himself in victory lane one week into the season — at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
Grala’s rookie season of Truck Series competition was more than respectable — one victory, 11 top-10 finishes and a seventh-place result in the standings.
Kaz Grala (26) races under Josh Williams at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (HHP/Tami Pope photo)
Naturally, the next step was the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The Boston native was vaulted to JGL Racing to contest the full schedule in the No. 24 Ford.
A stout fourth-place result in the 2018 Xfinity Series opener at Daytona looked to be a signal for what was to come. However, 10 races in, Grala quickly had to pivot into the unknown.
“I was signed to be full time and unfortunately the team owner’s health issues ended up worsening throughout the first 10 races there,” Grala told SPEED SPORT. “Eventually, he had to pull the plug on the team and the funding to handle his own health conditions.
“Unfortunately, that kind of put me in a tough spot career-wise because I was done 10 races in.”
As compensation for his unfulfilled contract, Grala received three Xfinity Series cars from team owner James Whitener
What does a teenager do with three Xfinity Series cars?
“At the time I was 19 years old and living in an apartment,” Grala said. “A little tricky, I don’t know what you do with a trailer full of three Xfinity cars.”
While Grala didn’t contest the full schedule as originally planned, he competed in all but 10 races that season, driving for his father’s company, FURY Race Cars.
The two-week spur-of-the-moment project turned into a true underdog story, as Grala and the No. 61 team finished 10th in their first race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
A near-win at Michigan Int’l Speedway, followed by a fifth-place effort at Daytona were shining moments for Grala, who made the best out of a near-impossible scenario.
“We beat a lot of teams that we shouldn’t have,” he said. “I think that put me a little bit more on the map, certainly within the industry. If you go out and you finish ninth, I don’t know maybe that’s not the loudest performance ever. That’s not the flashiest on TV.
“But people inside the industry take notice of days like that. When they were out there racing against you; maybe you beat them, or maybe you almost did, you went door-to-door with them. They know your budget and your team isn’t everything that they have.”
With his improbable performances in 2018, came a call from one of the most well-known figures in NASCAR racing — Richard Childress.
“That’s kind of what got me the opportunity to drive a couple of races at RCR the following two years,” Grala said.
Ten races over two seasons in Richard Childress Racing’s No. 21 Chevrolet wound up being a career-altering move for Grala, who used the ride as a springboard to his first Cup Series start.
“Those were some really light part-time seasons, but ultimately ended up putting me in the right place at the right time to fill in for Austin Dillon when he tested positive for COVID,” Grala explained.
Suddenly, Grala, 21 years old at the time, was thrust into racing on Daytona’s famous road course, aboard the famed No. 3 Chevrolet. Starting shotgun on the field without any experience in a Cup Series car, Grala made the most of a challenging July day in Florida.
Keyword: Kaz Grala’s Long & Winding Road