Taylor Gray, Bubba Pollard score Top-10 finishes in debut
Taylor Gray and Bubba Pollard each picked up Top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series debuts Saturday at Richmond Raceway.
Gray, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, and Pollard, driving for JR Motorsports, finished third and sixth respectively in the ToyotaCare 250.
Taylor Gray, a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, said he learned a lot of things in his Top-5 showing after starting 27th.
“You saw (the) little mistakes I made,” Gray said. “Xfinity, Cup you’re racing people so much tighter, so I’ve got to clean that up.”
Bubba Pollard, the super late model racer, started 37th after leading the morning practice session. Yet, he plucked through the field to rip off a Top-10 finish.
“I needed that green flag run to kind of get in a rhythm,” Pollard said. “It’s one of the tougher places I’ve been to. I had fun with it, I enjoyed it. I hope fans enjoyed it too.”
Pollard said the door is open to race more in the series if more sponsorship is found.
The Richmond Spring has fared well for drivers over the years who have made the series debut at the track.
Last year, Derek Kraus finished 10th in a Kaulig Racing entry.
In 2018, Noah Gragson led 10 laps and finished second in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 entry.
Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney finished seventh in his series debut in 2012, driving the No. 36 Chevrolet for Tommy Baldwin Racing.
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Dominic Aragon View All
Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.
From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book "All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story" with racer Geoff Bodine.
Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.
You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.