Kaz Grala at 9 pm ET on Thursday, March 31, 2016. Photo – KazGrala.com
Kaz Grala is our guest on Fan4Racing NASCAR weekend Preview on Thursday, March 31, 2016 at 9 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @beberly18 with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.
Racing full-time in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, Kaz Grala, with Ben Kennedy Racing now sits seventh in the series point standings after just three events this season with one top-five and two top-ten finishes. This weekend Grala is stepping behind the wheel of the No. 33 with GMS Racing for his Camping World Truck Series debut in the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday.
“I am looking forward to my NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut with GMS Racing at Martinsville. The No. 33 team has run really well so far this year and I believe they will supply me with the best equipment possible. I am going to try and put myself in the best position possible and hope to bring home a solid run for myself and GMS Racing.”
A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Grala has a way of finding early success in whatever series he races as his impressive early racing career demonstrates.
In 2013, after finding success on road courses in Go Karts, Grala moved on to Late Model Stock Cars garnering attention by winning his second race, the Banjo Matthews Memorial 150 at Hickory Motor Speedway, making him the youngest winner in UARA series history. Grala went on to place second in the prestigious 21st annual NASCAR Myrtle Beach 400, becoming the youngest driver to ever lead laps in the event. Capping off the season, Grala won the Speed51/JEGS Rookie of the Year Award, joining other NASCAR rising stars, Chase Elliott, Ross Kenseth, Erik Jones and Kyle Larson.
In 2014, Grala kicked off his season by becoming the youngest-ever driver in IMSA history, competing with Rum Bum Racing in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge BMW Performance 200 at Daytona International Speedway. He started 13th in the 67 car field and finished his segment in second place, having set the fastest lap of the race. His team finished the event in fourth-place. The same year with Turner Scott Motorsports, Grala finished seventh in the series point standings, as the youngest driver in the series during his rookie season and impressing many with four top-five and ten top-ten finishes. Grala’s best finish of second came at the last and most challenging race of the year at Dover International Speedway.
Also in the 2014 season, Grala raced a full schedule in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. The season highlight was a victory at Caraway Speedway during their biggest and longest race of the year – the Rusty Harpe Memorial. Other highlights include a win in the Martinsville MDCU300 heat race and a dominant performance in the feature race where Grala led a high of 46 laps, but unfortunately ended with a DNF due to a brake failure.
Last year with HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks, Grala repeated his seventh place ranking in the K&N East point standings, recording four top-fives and nine top-tens, while tying his career best finish of second at VIRginia International Raceway.
With so much success already under his belt, fans will want to keep their eye on Kaz Grala as he makes his debut in one of NASCAR’s top-three national series.
Catch Grala’s Camping World Truck Series debut in the Alpha Energy Solutions 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, April 2nd. FOX Sports 1 will carry coverage of the race with a green flag expected around 2:30 pm ET.