Kas Grala is set for his NASCAR return with Halmar Friesen at San Diego’s Street Course race in the NASCAR Truck Series on Friday night.
Kaz Grala is set to make his first NASCAR start of 2026 at the San Diego Street Race at Naval Base Coronado in the No. 62 Toyota Tundra for Halmar Friesen Racing.
Kaz Grala: Return to NASCAR
The event will mark Grala’s first start since earning a fourth-place finish for Sam Hunt Racing at the Charlotte Roval last October. The race will also signal Grala’s return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series since Pocono Raceway in July 2023.
The No. 62 team has struggled to earn consistent finishes this season. While Cup Series regular Christopher Bell has been very reliable for the team in his select starts—highlighted by a win at Bristol in April—the truck’s other part-time drivers have had issues finding success.
If you exclude the dependable finishes of the two Cup Series drivers, Christopher Bell and John Hunter Nemechek, who have combined for six starts in the truck this year, the Halmar Friesen Racing No. 62 has an average finish of 26.83 across its other six starts, spread among five different drivers and including three DNFs. By comparison, Bell and Nemechek have posted an impressive 5.17 average finish in their six starts.
Kaz Grala began racing go-karts at the age of four in the Boston, Massachusetts, area, according to his official website. Since then, Grala has developed into a particularly strong road course racer in NASCAR. Grala built a solid foundation for road racing in his teen years, competing in IMSA endurance events at tracks like Watkins Glen International and Circuit of the Americas. Notably, he holds the distinction of being the youngest driver to ever compete in an IMSA sanctioned event when he was 14.
Grala, now 27 years old, is a very strong candidate to provide a much-needed boost for the inconsistent No. 62 when the series heads to San Diego next week.
Watch the Race
The NASCAR Truck Series is running the inaugural race at Naval Base Coronado – San Diego Street Course on Friday, June 19th. The Navy 250 begins at 7 pm ET on FS1, NASCAR Radio Network, and SitirusXM NASCAR Radio.