Drag Illustrated Issue 140, January 2019 | Page 77
NHRA Pro Stock
Tanner Gray
A
t just 17 years old, Tanner
Gray made his Pro Stock debut at
the 2017 NHRA Winternationals,
and he was eager to let the world
know he was stepping into the ob-
scenely competitive class to win a
championship. As the curtain dropped on the
2018 season, Gray had that championship in hand,
along with the final time slip of a brilliant – albeit
abbreviated – career in the class.
Gray came on strong in terms of confidence
and expediently proved he had the skill to back
up his stated goals. Last season, just before his
18th birthday, the Gray Motorsports Chevro-
let Camaro pilot etched his name in the record
books in Las Vegas as the youngest Pro winner
in the history of NHRA. This season, he clocked
out as the youngest overall NHRA champion
at 19 years old with a total of eight wins for the
year – including the esteemed Chevrolet Per-
formance U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis – and
three runner-up performances.
“It’s been a heck of a year,” admits the 13-time
Pro Stock winner who will
transition to the K&N West
Series in 2019. “It started
out pretty slow, and I wasn’t
sure we’d even be in this
position. We did so much
testing, and it seemed like
nothing was really paying
off. But about mid-season
we were able to find some-
thing. It was like a light
switch flipped, and it just
started clicking from there.
“In the Countdown, we were able to execute
really well on race day. We didn’t necessarily
qualify the best, and we had some lucky rounds,
but Davey [crew chief Dave Connolly] gave me
an awesome Sunday car. All the guys working on
the car did an absolutely phenomenal job, and
they definitely made up for a few of my mistakes.”
The U.S. Nationals victory gave Gray the points
lead, and he never loosened his grasp. He raced to
the final in four of six Countdown to the Cham-
pionship races, won three
times, and closed out the
Pro Stock chapter of his ca-
reer with the NHRA Finals
trophy on the eight-year an-
niversary of father Shane
Gray’s first Pro Stock win.
“It’s been a long road
for Gray Motorsports – 10
years of trying,” says Gray.
“I’ve seen my dad come
home upset and stressed
out when he didn’t feel like
he was doing a good job or when the performance
wasn’t there, but he stuck with it and dug deep.
My dad, uncle [Jonathan Gray], and grandpa
[Johnny Gray] made this team. My grandpa
has been there every step of the way, and that
means a lot. It’s really special to get him his first
championship.
“It’s bittersweet to know that was my last race,
but I guess it makes it feel a little better to go out
on top.” – KELLY WADE
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KEN QUARTUCCIO ATOMIZER OUTLAW 10.5 // TYLER HARD NORTHEAST OUTLAW PRO MOD ASSOCIATION
Ja n u a r y 2 0 1 9
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