Taylor Gray Bio
Taylor James Gray is an American professional stock car racing driver born on March 25, 2005, in Artesia, New Mexico. He competes full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 54 Toyota GR Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing. Gray has worked his way up through the ARCA Menards Series ladder, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series, building a reputation as a fast and assertive young competitor.
Early Life and Background
Taylor James Gray was raised in Artesia, New Mexico, where his family is deeply rooted in motorsports. His father, Shane Gray, is an NHRA driver, and his grandfather, Johnny Gray, is a Funny Car driver and businessman who also served as president of Marbob Energy. Johnny Gray later co-owned Tricon Garage beginning in 2021. Taylor is the younger brother of Tanner Gray, who also races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Tricon Garage. Growing up in such a racing family gave Gray early exposure to engines, trailers, and race tracks well before he ever turned a competitive lap himself.
Path to NASCAR
Gray made his competitive debut in a late model in March 2018 at the age of twelve, driving for Lee Faulk Racing and Development at Hickory Motor Speedway in the Paramount Auto Group Limited Late Model Series. He finished sixth in his first start and two months later won his first late model race at the same track. In 2019, he and his brother Tanner were signed by DGR-Crosley, with Taylor running the CARS Late Model Stock Tour full-time. Because he was under fifteen, he was not yet eligible to compete in a NASCAR national series, so he built his skills on short tracks before stepping into bigger cars.
Taylor Gray Career
Early Career (2018-2020)
In 2018, Gray opened his racing career at Hickory Motor Speedway and quickly piled up wins, including leading all 200 laps of the Whelen All-American Series Fall Brawl at only fourteen years old. He moved to the CARS Late Model Stock Tour in 2019 and won at Hickory in just his second start, finishing ninth in tour points. After turning fifteen in March 2020, he joined the ARCA Menards Series East full-time with David Gilliland Racing in the No. 17 Ford and also ran the ARCA Menards Series West, where he earned his first West victory at the NAPA/ENEOS 125 at Kern County.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2021-2022)
Gray returned to the ARCA Menards Series East in 2021 and added a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Watkins Glen International that same year. In 2022, he enjoyed his strongest ARCA season, posting three wins in the ARCA Menards Series, including the General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway, which he dedicated to the hauler driver lost in a transport accident earlier that month. He also added an ARCA East win at Dover Motor Speedway with the new Ford Mustang body and a West win at the Star Nursery 150, wrapping up the year with five combined regional wins and an ARCA Menards Series East runner-up finish.
Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2023-2024)
In 2023, Gray ran his first full Craftsman Truck Series season with Tricon Garage, the rebranded David Gilliland Racing team that switched to Toyota. He posted a third-place run at Pocono, two consecutive top-fives during the playoffs at Kansas and Bristol, and finished fifteenth in points. In 2024, he made the Truck Series playoffs for the first time, finished sixth in the final standings, and fought for the win at Martinsville before contact from Christian Eckes ended his shot at the Championship 4.
Joe Gibbs Racing Era (2024-Present)
Joe Gibbs Racing signed Gray to a ten-race Xfinity Series schedule in 2024, and he impressed immediately with a third-place debut at Richmond Raceway. On October 16, 2024, JGR announced Gray would drive the No. 54 Toyota GR Supra full-time in 2025. He opened the 2025 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with a fifth-place run at Daytona, traded sheet metal with Sammy Smith at Martinsville in a heated post-race confrontation, and scored his first career national-series victory at the Martinsville playoff race. In January 2026, JGR confirmed Gray would return for a second full-time year, and he promptly added a pole at Phoenix Raceway and a win at Kansas Speedway in 2026.
Driving Style and Strengths
Gray is known for his aggressive short-track pace and his comfort on intermediate ovals, where he has earned top tens and poles at tracks like Texas and Pocono. He works well with his Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief, leans on race-long pace rather than single-lap speed, and has shown a willingness to defend his position physically, which has both won and cost him races in recent seasons.
Notable Races and Milestones
His first career national-series win at the 2025 IAA and Ritchie Bros. 250 at Martinsville stands as the defining moment of his young career. Earlier highlights include leading late at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in 2022 and fighting for the Martinsville Truck Series win in 2024 before contact from Eckes sent him up the track.
Taylor Gray Career Wins
Taylor James Gray has built a steady resume of wins across stock car racing’s development ladder and at the national level. He has posted multiple ARCA Menards Series victories, a single ARCA East win, multiple ARCA West wins, and two NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wins heading into the 2025 playoff stretch.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Highlights
Gray scored his first NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory at the 2025 IAA and Ritchie Bros. 250 at Martinsville Speedway, a win that came during the playoffs and locked in a major milestone for Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 54 program. He has backed that breakthrough with poles, top fives, and additional top-ten runs, and he added a win at Kansas in 2026 to give him two career O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victories.
Other Wins and Performances
In the ARCA Menards Series, Gray picked up three wins, including the 2022 General Tire 150 at Phoenix and the General Tire Delivers 200 at Pocono. He added one ARCA Menards Series East win at Dover in 2022 and five ARCA Menards Series West wins across 2020 and 2022, highlighted by the NAPA/ENEOS 125 at Kern County and the Star Nursery 150 at Las Vegas.
Taylor Gray Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Gray comes from one of stock car racing’s well-known multi-generational families. His father, Shane Gray, is an NHRA driver, and his grandfather, Johnny Gray, is a Funny Car veteran and the longtime president of Marbob Energy. His older brother, Tanner Gray, races alongside him in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and Johnny Gray has co-owned Tricon Garage since 2021, the same team where Taylor ran his first full Truck Series seasons.
Personal Life
When he is away from the track, Gray enjoys wakeboarding and stays close to his family. He is the younger brother of fellow NASCAR driver Tanner Gray and continues to build his career out of his New Mexico roots.
2025 Season Performance
Gray opened the 2025 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season with a fifth-place run at Daytona and quickly showed he could run up front on intermediates. A heated battle at Martinsville Speedway in the spring put him in the headlines when contact from Sammy Smith cost him a likely win, and the two drivers confronted each other in the infield care center. Despite the setback, Gray piled up poles and top-ten finishes during the summer and entered the playoffs as a genuine contender for the Championship 4.
During the 2025 playoffs, Gray broke through with his first career national-series win at the Martinsville playoff race, giving Joe Gibbs Racing another young winner and boosting his confidence. He was eventually eliminated from title contention in the Round of 12, but the Martinsville victory and his consistent speed underlined how far he had come in his first full O’Reilly Auto Parts Series campaign. Looking ahead, JGR locked him into the No. 54 for another season, signaling clear long-term confidence in his development as the team’s next homegrown star.
