Kaz Grala Tag

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Ben Rhodes wrapped up a perfect pair of race outings at Daytona International Speedway answering his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory on the oval last week with a dramatic win Friday night on the infield road course. It took three overtime starts to secure the victory over 2020 series champion Sheldon Creed, but Rhodes’ work in the No. 99 ThorSport Racing Toyota marked only the third time in series history a driver has opened the season with back-to-back wins. And it marked theRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Had the original 2021 schedule held, the NASCAR Cup Series would have been heading down I-95 to Homestead-Miami Speedway, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced some changes, meaning NASCAR’s top division will be staying in Daytona for another week. After last weekend’s running of the Daytona 500 on the oval, it’s the track’s 3.61-mile, 14-turn road course that will be the focus this Sunday for the running of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 253. The 70-lap race will be the third for the Cup Series on theRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It was past midnight at the Daytona International Speedway when a late-race carnage beckoned the second race of the Bluegreen Duels. In the end, the greatest benefactor was Kaz Grala. Not only he got the free pass, but thanks to David Ragan finishing eighth, the 2017 Truck Series Daytona winner will make his first 500 appearance. Grala was already appreciative of Ragan because at around 2011, he got to experience a NASCAR race from the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing pit boxRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Kaulig Racing announced Wednesday that Kaz Grala will attempt to make the 63rd Daytona 500 next month, piloting the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. It’ll mark Grala’s second-ever Cup appearance as he filled in for Austin Dillon at the Daytona International Speedway road course race last August, finishing an astonishing seventh. Dillon had tested positive for COVID-19, ultimately leading Richard Childress Racing on giving the 22-year-old an opportunity to compete in the sport’s highest level. Grala will have to make the race however, hopingRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Kaz Grala had an unexpected welcome to the NASCAR Cup Series, but certainly made the most out of the opportunity by finishing seventh in Sunday’s Go Bowling 235 at the Daytona International Speedway road course. “I never thought my NASCAR Cup Series debut would come in this nature,” said Grala. “I first want to say that I’m thankful that Austin’s symptoms are mild and that his wife Whitney and baby Ace are healthy. I hope to see him back in the car next week at DoverRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – No practice, no qualifying, new course. No problem for Hendrick Motorsport’s driver Chase Elliott. The 24-year old Elliott gave a not-so-subtle reminder Sunday afternoon in the NASCAR Cup Series debut on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course that he is one of the sport’s very best on the technical road circuits, even sight unseen as was the case this week. Just before a caution flag with five laps remaining, Elliott had pulled out to a 10-second advantage on the field.Read More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer For the third time this season, a NASCAR Cup Series driver has tested positive for COVID-19. This time, it’s July Texas winner Austin Dillon, who’ll miss Sunday’s Go Bowling 235 at the Daytona International Speedway road course. Taking over Dillon’s ride will be journeyman Kaz Grala, who’ll make his Cup debut in the No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Grala is no stranger to road racing as some of his best drives have came at the left and right turns, including last Saturday’s XfinityRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Austin Cindric really earned the victory in Saturday’s Henry 180 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the historic 4-mile Road America road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisc. – managing to hold off traffic on numerous restarts both early and late in an elongated afternoon of competition that included wet and dry conditions and 13 dramatic lead changes. Cindric, 21, took his No. 22 Team Penske Ford to the lead for good on a restart with three laps remaining having to hold off hard-charging veteran roadRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Kaz Grala will continue to run for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season, piloting the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for a select amount of races that’ll commence this summer. Friday’s announcement confirms that Grala rounds out the 2020 lineup as Myatt Snider and Anthony Alfredo will also run the No. 21 machine. The 2017 Daytona Truck Series winner commented that last year’s stint at RCR was a learning curve and is excited on helping the team compete for the Xfinity SeriesRead More

By Chris Knight, NASCAR Wire Service ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. – In a two-lap shootout in Saturday afternoon’s CTECH Manufacturing 180 at Road America, Christopher Bell checked out from the competition to claim his sixth NASCAR Xfinity Series win of the season. Bell found himself battling the best of the best when it comes to road course racing in NASCAR inside the final laps of the race between AJ Allmendinger and Austin Cindric, but when Gray Gaulding went into the gravel in Turn 1, the full-course caution waved setting up anRead More