Taylor Gray Continuing To Show Xfinity Series Promise

Taylor Gray (19) races Austin Hill Saturday at Michigan Int'l Speedway. (John K. Harrelson/NKP for Toyota Racing photo)

BROOKLYN, Mich. – NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoff contender Taylor Gray showed grit in rebounding to an eighth-place finish Saturday at Michigan Int’l Speedway, continuing to excel in a limited NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule this year.

One of Toyota’s rising prospects, the 19-year-old overcame a lap-15 spin and a lap-18 pit road speeding penalty to ultimately collect his third career top-10 finish in just his ninth series start.

Gray competes full-time in the Truck Series for TRICON Garage, and sits eighth in the standings in his first full year entering the seven-race playoff stretch. On the Xfinity side, he’s run a part-time schedule with Joe Gibbs Racing as part of the rotating driver lineup in the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra.

With the Xfinity Series running a modified superspeedway package at Michigan on Saturday, Gray called his day in the Cabo Wabo 250 a rollercoaster.

“Up and down day for us at the miniature Daytona,” Gray said after the race. “The spin early hurt us, and we had to kind of claw our way back through the field.”

Gray rolled off the starting grid third and showed speed all weekend, battling inside the top five when he then got loose racing under Sammy Smith in the middle of turn two. He spun as his car carried down the back straightaway, taking a promising afternoon and turning it upside down early on.

Three laps later, Gray was then caught speeding on pit road during his subsequent pit stop on lap 18. This furthered the steep wall he had to climb over to get back into contention.

Despite the early hiccups, Gray methodically battled his way back inside the top 10, finishing fourth in stage two.

Instead of being discouraged by self-inflicted mistakes, the Artesia, N.M., native dug deep. Through a pair of rain delays, late cautions and chaotic restarts, Gray continued to show improvement.

“It was really hard to pass. You really had to be smart about taking runs, and then pulling out of line and stuff like that,” Gray explained. “Just gave up my right rear [tire] on the green-white-checkered [overtime finish], and kind of sacrificed a top-five doing that.”

All in all, Gray made the most out of a day of learning while racing with the Xfinity Series’s best competitors.

Viewed as one of Toyota’s most promising young drivers, with five top fives and nine top 10s in the Truck Series ranks, Gray’s remaining Xfinity Series schedule remains unknown. However, he has been one of JGR’s bright spots through the summer and has already made more Xfinity starts than originally planned.

In the meantime, Gray’s Truck Series championship pursuit begins at the Milwaukee (Wis.) Mile on Sunday, Aug. 25. Broadcast coverage of the LiUNA 175 begins at 4 p.m. ET on FS1, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.