Kaz Grala
Kaz Grala (/ˈɡrɔːlə/ GRAW-lə;[1] born December 29, 1998) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 36 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Front Row Motorsports and the No. 15 Mustang Dark Horse for Rick Ware Racing. He has also previously competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Pinty's Series as well as what is now the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West.
Kaz Grala
Kaz Grala
December 29, 1998
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Youngest driver to make the NASCAR playoffs (18)
Youngest NASCAR race winner at Daytona International Speedway (18)
Youngest NASCAR pole winner at Daytona International Speedway (18)
Youngest driver to compete in an IMSA race (15)
Youngest race winner in UARA-Stars (14)
No. 36 (Front Row Motorsports)
No. 15 (Rick Ware Racing)
53rd
40th (2020)
No. 28 (RSS Racing)
17th
17th (2023)
96th
7th (2017)
41st
41st (2016)
48th (2017)
41st (2015)
Grala is the youngest NASCAR winner in the history of Daytona International Speedway with his win in the 2017 Truck Series season-opener at age 18 and the youngest person to ever compete in an International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) event at age 15.
Racing career[edit]
Early career[edit]
Grala, a native of Boston, started racing go-karts at F1 Boston in Braintree, Massachusetts, when he was four years old. When he was ten,[2] he began racing Bandoleros, winning the Summer Shootout Championship in 2011. That same year, he won the New York Legendstock and the Massachusetts Bandolero Outlaws state championships.[1] In 2012, Grala won 15 races and the Winter Heat Championship at Charlotte[3] in the Legend Car Pro Division.
In 2013, Grala made his late model debut in UARA-STARS, becoming the youngest winner in series history at Hickory Motor Speedway, followed by setting the record as the youngest driver to lead laps in the Myrtle Beach 400 where he finished second to Lee Pulliam. That same year, he was named by Speed 51 as the 2013 JEGS Rookie of the Year.[4]
Personal life[edit]
Grala was born in Boston and grew up in the suburb of Westborough. Grala's father Darius is a former sports car racer, competing in the 24 Hours of Daytona three times.[2] He is of Polish ancestry.
He attended high school at Worcester Academy, graduating in 2017.[3] Grala has been accepted to Georgia Tech to major in engineering, but has deferred his admission to pursue his racing career.
Grala lives in Mooresville, North Carolina.