Tanner Gray
Tanner Gray (born April 15, 1999) is an American professional racing driver. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, driving the No. 15 Ford F-150 for DGR-Crosley. 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 | |||||||
| Born | April 15, 1999 Artesia, New Mexico | ||||||
| Achievements | 2018 NHRA Pro Stock champion | ||||||
| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career | |||||||
| 15 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Truck no., team | No. 15 (DGR-Crosley) | ||||||
| 2019 position | 46th | ||||||
| Best finish | 46th (2019) | ||||||
| First race | 2019 NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 (Martinsville) | ||||||
| Last race | 2020 Sunoco 159 (Daytona) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Statistics current as of August 16, 2020. | |||||||
Background
Gray was born April 15, 1999, to professional drag racer and national event champion Shane Gray and Amber Gray in 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.
Drag racing
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.[2] 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.
In 2018 Gray won 8 times en route to the Pro Stock title, becoming the youngest ever NHRA season champion.[3]
NASCAR
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 the full 2020 Truck Series schedule in the No. 15 Ford F-150.[9]
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.
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.)
Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors 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 | NGTC | 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 | [10] | |||||||||||||||||
| 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 | GTW | DAR | RCH | BRI | LVS | TAL | KAN | TEX | MAR | PHO | -* | -* | [11] | ||||||||||||||||
K&N Pro Series East
| NASCAR K&N Pro Series East results | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | NKNPSEC | 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 | [12] | |
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 |
GTW | MAD | GLN | ISF | DSF | BRI | MEM | KAN | SLM | MOH | MCH | ELK | -* | -* | [15] | |
* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points
References
- "Youngest Pro winners". NHRA. Retrieved 2017-05-01.
- "Tanner Gray Adds "Rookie Of The Year" To His Historical 2017 NHRA Season". Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- "Tanner Gray,19, wins Pro Stock title to become youngest NHRA season champion". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2019-03-21.
- "Tanner Gray to transition to NASCAR K&N East Series". Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- 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 6 May 2019.
- "Tanner Gray to make Truck Series debut in Martinsville". DGR-Crosley. October 16, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- Boarman, John (November 4, 2019). "Tanner Gray driving fifth DGR truck to finish season". Tireball. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
- Bonkowski, Jerry (December 16, 2019). "Tanner Gray to race Truck full-time in 2020 for DGR-Crosley". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
- "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 August 16, 2020.
- "Tanner Gray – 2019 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
- "Tanner Gray – 2019 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
- "Driver Tanner Gray 2019 ARCA Menards Series results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- "Tanner Gray - 2020 ARCA Menards Series results". Racing Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
External links
- Tanner Gray driver statistics at Racing-Reference