Tanner Gray

Tanner Shane Gray (born April 15, 1999) is an American professional racing driver who has competed in drag racing and stock car racing. He races full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 15 Ford F-150 for David Gilliland Racing. Gray is the youngest professional driver to win a national event in NHRA history, and the youngest driver to win an NHRA season championship.[1]

Tanner Gray
Gray in 2017
BornTanner Shane Gray
(1999-04-15) April 15, 1999
Artesia, New Mexico
Achievements2018 NHRA Pro Stock champion
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career
26 races run over 2 years
Truck no., teamNo. 15 (DGR-Crosley)
2020 position14th
Best finish14th (2020)
First race2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 (Martinsville)
Last race2020 Lucas Oil 150 (Phoenix)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 8 0
Statistics current as of November 6, 2020.

Racing career

Drag racing
Gray racing against his father Shane in the 2017 NHRA Four-Wide Nationals

2017 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]

NASCAR
Gray running the 2019 K&N Pro Series East race at Bristol Motor Speedway

On 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 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.[7][8]

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,[9] now a Ford F-150 after the team switched from Toyota to Ford in the offseason. In addition, the team announced he would continue to drive in the East Series, now the ARCA Menards Series East, part-time, as well as part-time in the big 20-race ARCA Menards Series,[10] 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.

Other racing

Gray 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

Gray 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. 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 DGR-Crosley and currently competes full-time for them in the ARCA Menards Series East as well as part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, both in the No. 17 car.

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
NASCAR Camping World Truck 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 21 22 23 NCWTC Pts Ref
2019 DGR-Crosley 15 Toyota DAY ATL LVS MAR TEX DOV KAN CLT TEX IOW GTW CHI KEN POC ELD MCH BRI MSP LVS TAL MAR
20		 46th 59 [11]
7 PHO
17		 HOM
16
2020 15 Ford DAY
23		 LVS
8		 CLT
20		 ATL
11		 HOM
12		 POC
12		 KEN
9		 TEX
36		 KAN
18		 KAN
4		 MCH
3		 DAY
15		 DOV
17		 GTW
10		 DAR
29		 RCH
16		 BRI
3		 LVS
3		 TAL
29		 KAN
36		 TEX
10		 MAR
31		 PHO
15		 14th 511 [12]
2021 David Gilliland Racing DAY DAY LVS ATL BRI RCH KAN DAR COA CLT TEX NSH POC KNX GLN GTW MSP BRI LVS TAL MAR PHO

K&N Pro Series West
NASCAR 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 12th* 195* [13]

ARCA Menards Series

(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 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 [14]
2020 17 Ford DAY
16		 PHO
4		 TAL
13		 POC
15		 IRP KEN
9		 IOW KAN
5		 TOL TOL MCH DAY GTW I44 TOL BRI WIN MEM ISF KAN 20th 203 [15]

ARCA Menards Series East
ARCA 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 [16]
2020 17 Ford NSM
18		 TOL DOV TOL BRI FIF 47th 26 [17]

* Season still in progress

References
  1. Benson, Candida (April 17, 2017). "Youngest Pro winners". NHRA. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  2. "Gray earns 2017 Auto Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award". November 13, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  3. "Tanner Gray,19, wins Pro Stock title to become youngest NHRA season champion". USA Today. November 10, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  4. "Tanner Gray to transition to NASCAR K&N East Series". Retrieved 2018-09-26.
  5. Crandall, Kelly (January 23, 2020). "NASCAR podcast: Tanner Gray". RACER. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  6. Segal, Davey. "NHRA champion Tanner Gray earns maiden NASCAR K&N East victory at South Boston". Autoweek. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  7. "Tanner Gray to make Truck Series debut in Martinsville". DGR-Crosley. October 16, 2019.
  8. Boarman, John (November 4, 2019). "Tanner Gray driving fifth DGR truck to finish season". Tireball.
  9. Bonkowski, Jerry (December 16, 2019). "Tanner Gray to race Truck full-time in 2020 for DGR-Crosley". NBC Sports.
  10. "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.
  11. "Tanner Gray – 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  12. "Tanner Gray – 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  13. "Tanner Gray – 2019 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  14. "Tanner Gray – 2019 ARCA Menards Series results". Racing Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  15. "Tanner Gray – 2020 ARCA Menards Series results". Racing Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  16. "Tanner Gray – 2019 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  17. "Tanner Gray – 2020 ARCA Menards Series East results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
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