Taylor Gray riding momentum into NASCAR Xfinity Series debut
This weekend, Taylor Gray will take a break from a fast start to his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season and make his Xfinity Series debut.
Gray will drive for Joe Gibbs Racing at Richmond Raceway this Saturday, piloting their No. 19 Placeofhope.com Toyota Supra GR.
Gray matched his age to his car number Monday, celebrating his 19th birthday. Already, he’s in his fourth year of competing in the Truck Series.
In five starts in 2021 and eight in 2022, Gray earned a top-10 finish in each season. Last season, he had three top-5s and six top-10s. However, he went winless and missed the playoffs after missing the first three races, waiting to turn 18.
Now, after five races, Gray has equaled his 2023 top-5 count and needs just two more top-10s to match his 2023 count.
Gray is fourth in points with a comfortable 59-point cushion on the cutline and the third-best average finish (7.2).
In the four seasons with the 10-driver playoff field, a driver has never missed the playoffs being in a spot like this after five races.
Knocking on the door of a playoff spot and a win in the Truck Series, historically for young drivers, tends to creak open the door to the Xfinity Series.
The door is open for Gray this weekend. Rookie will meet rookie as Gray will have crew chief Seth Chavka on the box. A longtime engineer for JGR, Richard Childress Racing and Kevin Harvick Inc., Chavka is in his first season as a crew chief.
Chavka is in charge of getting the No. 19 team into the owner playoffs with a plethora of drivers. Currently, the No. 19 team sits 12th in owner points. They’re just +1 point to the No. 8 JR Motorsports team.
Chavka has had Ryan Truex and Aric Almirola at the helm for two races each and Ty Gibbs for COTA.
Truex ran inside the top-10 until a crash on the final lap at Daytona. Almirola placed third and fourth in the stages before a race-ending crash at Phoenix. Gibbs was one of the cars to beat at COTA before having issues late in the race.
The performance has been there for the No. 19 team. The finishes, not so much.
Given the team’s performance this season, especially at Phoenix, and his strong start to the Truck season so far, Gray is primed to have a great debut.
In each of the last five Xfinity Series races at Richmond, at least one JGR driver has led double-digit laps. The organization also has 11 wins and 61 top-10s in 119 combined starts.
“I’m excited to make my first Xfinity Series start this weekend. I’m sure there will be a little bit of a learning curve, but I’ve been working with Seth and the JGR guys in the simulator and the shop to prep for my races and feel like we are in a spot to have a solid weekend at Richmond,” Gray said.
Gray will get nine more chances later on in the Xfinity Series season. William Sawalich and Joe Graf Jr. will also get some starts in the No. 19 this season.
Catch the ToyotaCare 250 from Richmond Raceway this Saturday. The green flag will fly just after 1:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1, MRN affiliates and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com