Gray, who used to be a champion in NHRA Pro Stock, got his first big win in a stock car race. He was racing for Joe Gibbs Racing in a Toyota numbered 18. At the start, he was leading the race but had to make a pit stop because of a flat tire. This made him fall behind by one lap.
Later in the race, when most of the cars stopped for a pit during a caution, Gray stayed on the track and moved back to the lead lap. This helped him get ahead.
He did a great job holding off Carson Kvapil, who had new tires, and won the race by almost a second. Gray, who is 25 years old, is the sixth different person to win in the first six races of the 2024 ARCA season.
Gray said, “It’s all thanks to the hard work of these guys who make the car fast. We faced a lot of problems, like the flat tire, but we fought back and did well in the second half of the race. We had a good restart in the last 10 laps and tried to stay in the lead. It feels really good.”
After leaving NHRA, Gray has raced in NASCAR Trucks, ARCA, ARCA East, and West. He won only one race back in 2019 in South Boston, Virginia, in ARCA East.
“It’s been tough because I had to learn a lot, but I still have more to learn,” Gray said. “But I’ve had many people supporting me, which helped me get to where I am.”
Gray didn’t have much time to celebrate because he also had to race in the Truck race at Charlotte on Friday night.
Andres Perez finished third, Will Kimmel was fourth, and Lavar Scott came fifth in the race.
