Taylor Gray Grabs Maiden Xfinity Series Pole In Miami

Taylor Gray poses after his NASCAR Xfinity Series pole Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. (John Harrelson/NKP for Toyota Racing photo)

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Taylor Gray continued the groundswell of young talent in the NASCAR Xfinity Series by earning his first Kennametal Pole Award Saturday morning at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

With a lap of 33.064 seconds (163.320 mph) in the No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra, Gray topped time trials for the first time in 19 series starts and earned the right to lead the field to green in the Hard Rock Bet 300 as a result.

It wasn’t always easy, though, as Gray scuffed the wall during practice, forcing his Joe Gibbs Racing crew to tweak on the balance before he went out for his qualifying run.

“All my guys worked really hard there; harder than I wish they’d had to!” admitted Gray, who turns 20 on Tuesday. “I put us in a little bit of a tough spot there after I tried to run the ‘Larson line’ (against the outside wall) and right-sided [the car]. We had to do some things to it because of that, but we’re getting our GR Supra better and better, and we just have to stay consistent for the race.

“If I can stay patient and take care of the right side, I think we’ll be there [in contention].”

The Artesia, N.M., native is chasing his first career Xfinity Series win after a strong start to the season, with three top-10 finishes in the first five races. He’s never finished top 10 at a 1.5-mile intermediate, however, something he hopes will change by the end of 300 miles of racing.

“We want a win, and I know we’re close to being able to do that,” said Gray. “Being good here is based a lot on sound and judgement of where you place your car, because of how it’s driving. It’s a lot of knowing the feel (you need) and a lot of things working together, so I have to be smart and adjust with how the racetrack changes throughout each run and through the race as a whole.

“I feel like [Kyle] Larson is the guy to beat; he’s so good at this place and always has been, with how he’s able to run max fence and make minimum mistakes,” Gray noted. “Trying to keep him behind me and in my dirty air will be key so we can protect and keep his favorite line for ourselves as much as possible.”

Joining Gray on the front row is fellow rookie sensation Connor Zilisch, already a two-time Xfinity Series winner with JR Motorsports. Zilisch’s lap of 33.143 seconds (162.930 mph) in the No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet was .079 seconds shy of the pole time but his best start to date on an oval.

“The thing here is (that) 200 laps is way different (than one qualifying lap), so I’m excited to see what our WeatherTech Chevy can do on the long run,” noted Zilisch. “Being fast in qualifying doesn’t mean too much here at Homestead (because of tire fall-off), so I have to work at it all day to stay up front.

“We’ve got a good spot to start from, but there’s a lot of slipping and sliding to be done and we have to keep the car in one piece to be there at the end.”

Big Machine Racing’s Nick Sanchez starts third in his first Xfinity Series appearance at his home racetrack, followed by defending series champion Justin Allgaier for JRM and Kaulig Racing’s Christian Eckes, giving Sunoco rookie-of-the-year contenders four of the top five starting spots.

It’s the most rookies in the top five of a starting lineup in Xfinity Series history.

Sam Mayer, Justin Bonsignore, Ryan Sieg, Sheldon Creed, and Matt DiBenedetto closed the top 10 in qualifying, with Ty Dillon putting up the 11th-best lap in time trials in relief of Josh Williams.

Williams, who continues to battle extended pneumonia, plans to start the race from the rear of the field – due to the driver change – to continue earning points toward his regular season total. Dillon will remain on hand as a mid-race relief driver if needed.

Other notables lining up deeper in the field include Harrison Burton (12th); Carson Kvapil (14th); Cup Series star Kyle Larson (17th), who won the Truck Series race Friday night; Jesse Love (20th); and Austin Hill (21st), who won the most recent Xfinity Series race at Homestead last October.

Allgaier, Mayer, Love, and Hill are the four drivers eligible for the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash payout in Saturday’s race, awarded to the driver who finishes highest among the quartet at the checkered flag.

With 39 cars entered for 38 starting spots, Mike Harmon Racing’s Dawson Cram was the lone driver who failed to qualify for the starting field.

Broadcast coverage of Saturday’s Hard Rock Bet 300 is slated for 4 p.m. ET, live on The CW, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.