Taylor Gray: ‘I Wasn’t Expecting To Get Moved To The Fence’

Taylor Gray (Scotte Sprinkle/Race Face Digital photo)

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Moments after the final restart in Friday night’s Zip ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ 200, Taylor Gray had visions of a berth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title race start forming in his mind.

However, one shove by Christian Eckes and five heartbreaking laps later, Gray found himself out of time and out of opportunities to make the Championship 4 after needing a Martinsville Speedway victory to advance to the final round of the postseason.

Gray finished fourth at the .526-mile paper clip despite lining up on the front row for the final restart, with 60-lap fresher tires than many of the frontrunners in the closing stages after pitting with 34 to go during the fourth caution flag of the night.

He quickly charged from 10th to fifth in three laps after the ensuing restart on lap 172, and was battling for the runner-up spot coming to 19 to go when a multi-truck incident in turn three forced the yellow lights back on.

The caution was a benefit to Gray, who would have had 3.3 seconds to make up under green-flag conditions to try and get to Eckes but instead was able to restart on the front row alongside the race’s dominant driver for a pair of late-race sprints.

Though the first of those restarts didn’t pan out – with a crash slowing the pace again less than a lap after the green flag – Gray’s second launch during the final restart with five to go netted him the lead off turn two by a half truck length in the outside lane.

It didn’t last, however.

Taylor Gray (17) and Christian Eckes battle during the final restart Friday night at Martinsville Speedway. (Lesley Ann Miller/Toyota Racing photo)

With a truck that he “was determined to win the race with,” Eckes punted Gray out of the way in turn three on lap 196, moving the Artesia, N.M., native two grooves up the track and into the marbles so that he couldn’t counter after Eckes retook the top spot.

From there, Gray faded back into the clutches of others behind him, while Eckes’ front bumper eventually led the McAnally-Hilgemann Racing team to victory in the penultimate race of the Truck Series season – despite the fact that Eckes started from the pole and led 183 of 200 laps.

The move led to understandable anger from Gray’s side, a door-shove on the cool-down lap, and then a furious march from pit road to victory lane that ended in a heated discussion and a shove from Gray to Eckes.

It was frustration boiling over after a potential – and realistic – walk-off title shot for Gray evaporated in a heartbeat. In short, it was classic Martinsville chaos.

Though he initially declined interviews before having a chance to speak to Eckes, it was clear that Gray hadn’t heard anything to calm his emotions after the discussion was had.

“I raced the 19 (Eckes) clean into (turns) one and two on the restart and (several) times before that. I was on better tires, and I barely even touched him,” Gray explained. “I drove underneath him, and the caution came out (with 11 to go). I thought it was so clean for Martinsville, especially for the tire advantage I had. I could have drove into (turn) one and shipped him completely out of the way and not even worried about it, but I raced him clean. I didn’t want to be that guy at Martinsville.

“Then we go on the final restart, and I raced him clean through (turns) one and two, basically cleared him off of (turn) two … and he just goes into (turn) three and completely ships me to the fence,” Gray continued. “Now granted, it is Martinsville, so I was expecting to get moved – but I wasn’t expecting to get moved to the fence … especially with how I raced him, and him being basically locked into the final four, but I don’t know.

“The only thing he did with that move was put a target on his back, but unfortunately, in this day and age I can’t go to Phoenix and do anything to him, or I’ll get a $20,000 fine. Basically, it means he gets away with that crap and doesn’t get any repercussions from it.”

Gray’s reference was to the 2023 Truck Series finale at Phoenix, where Corey Heim retaliated against Carson Hocevar after the two had gotten together earlier in the race, ultimately costing both drivers a chance at the Truck Series championship.

The aftermath of that scenario led to a $12,500 fine and 25-point deduction for Heim for his actions.

Christian Eckes reflects following Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway. (Scotte Sprinkle photo)

After celebrating in victory lane and having a chance to process the closing laps, Eckes told reporters that he simply didn’t want to lose with a truck that had utterly dominated the race at Martinsville by sweeping both stages and leading more than 90 percent of the laps.

“Charles Denike (crew chief) and all the MHR guys work way too hard for us to lose a race we controlled like that, regardless of the circumstances,” Eckes told Motorsports Hotspot. “I don’t want to race like that, but at the same time, I wasn’t going to let us lose.”

Gray was none too pleased with any of the explanations, making it clear that if he has his way, Eckes will have some sort of comeuppance come back around – especially since the pair will continue racing against one another week-to-week next year as they move up into the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

“The 19 was the class of the field, right? But it is not my fault that we had a better strategy call than he did,” said Gray, who will drive a Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity car next year, while Eckes joins Kaulig Racing to replace A.J. Allmendinger. “We came out on tires, we drove through the field, and we drove up to him. I raced him clean, and he drove me into the fence. I guess the only thing I could have done is wreck him like he wrecked me.

“What comes around goes around. I have to race him next year (in the Xfinity Series) all year long, so I guess he’s got that to look forward to.”

At the end of it all, it amounted to a trademark Martinsville dust-up that might just carry over into the future, though Eckes admitted he wasn’t worried about that possibility as he left the track Friday night.

“I’m going to go into this next week with my head clear, and hopefully they understand that this was all just a product of racing at Martinsville,” noted Eckes.

“I’d be mad if I was Taylor too, but I feel like you have to race hard here, and that’s what we did tonight.”