Kaz Grala has always been a quick study…

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Kaz Grala is a first-generation American of Polish descent. He graduated from Worcester Academy in 2017 and was accepted into Georgia Tech’s mechanical engineering program after achieving a perfect score on his math SAT subject test.

Kaz deferred his enrollment when a breakthrough victory created a conflict between the NASCAR Playoffs and moving into his dorm. Deferring again for a full-time racing opportunity the following year, Georgia Tech granted him “standing admission,” allowing him to prioritize his motorsports ambitions.

NASCAR Cup Series

Kaz made his NASCAR Cup Series debut for Richard Childress Racing, driving the iconic No. 3 car when COVID-19 sidelined Austin Dillon for the weekend. With only 24 hours of notice, no practice, and no qualifying, Kaz secured a 7th-place finish, becoming the first driver since Carl Edwards in 2004 to score a top-10 in his Cup debut. He joined Kyle Busch as the only two drivers to score a top-10 finish in each of NASCAR’s national series that year.

Since then, Kaz has competed in over 30 NASCAR Cup Series races, scoring an additional top-10 finish (in just his third start) and contributing to two different teams’ best seasons to-date. He’s also qualified into the Daytona 500 as an “open car” in each of his three attempts.

Grala currently serves as the simulation testing and reserve driver for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, the NASCAR Cup Series team owned by 7-time champion Jimmie Johnson.

NASCAR Xfinity Series

In 2018, JGL Racing signed Kaz to a full season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He scored a 4th-place finish in his series debut, but after 10 races, health complications forced the team owner to close the company’s doors. As severance, they left Kaz with three race cars, which Kaz and his father, Darius, used to field an Xfinity Series effort midseason. In their first race together, they scored a top-10 finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway, followed by a near-win at Michigan, and even a top-5 finish at Daytona in a refurbished, old showcar.

His adversity that year cemented him as a favorite amongst the fans and media, and helped him secure sponsorship for select races over the next few years while searching for that elusive full-season partner. Finally, in 2023, Kaz broke through and landed his first, true full-time NXS season with Sam Hunt Racing, backed by sponsors Island Coastal Lager and Fire Dept. Coffee, where he was able to turn in the team’s best season to-date.

NASCAR Truck Series

Kaz’s NASCAR career began in the Craftsman Truck Series when he joined GMS Racing. Only old enough to compete on the shorter tracks, the 17-year-old scored a top-10 finish at Dover Motor Speedway in just his second start.

The following year, he joined the team full time, opening the season with a historic win. At 18 years, 1 month, and 26 days old, he became NASCAR’s youngest winner ever at Daytona International Speedway, and the youngest driver ever to lock into the NASCAR Playoffs. He demonstrated his versatility as a rookie by securing top-5 finishes on every style of track – a short track, intermediate track, superspeedway, road course, and even dirt track.

Sports Cars

Road racing has always been at the forefront of Kaz’s skillset behind the wheel. Competing in endurance events, sharing the car with co-drivers who were often older and more experienced, was an integral part of Kaz becoming the driver he is today. As young as 14 years old, Kaz racked up wins at tracks like Watkins Glen, Virginia International Raceway, and Circuit of the Americas in events ranging anywhere from 8 to 13 hours long. Rain or shine, high horsepower or momentum-based, you could always find him at the top of the leaderboard in his respective class.

His first step into professional sports car racing took place in 2014, when he became the youngest IMSA competitor in history – just a couple weeks after turning 15 years old. He raced in the Michelin Pilot Challenge at Daytona, and clicked off the fastest lap of the race before handing the car off to his co-driver in the lead. In the years to follow, Kaz competed in the renowned Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona twice, both times as the youngest driver in the field, and both times setting the fastest lap of the weekend in his team’s car.

Kaz’s most recent foray into the sports car racing world saw him make his Trans Am Series debut in 2022 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. After qualifying on pole and setting a new track record, a mechanical failure forced him to retire midway through the race. Afterwards, an impressed competitor wrote him a check before leaving the paddock to ensure he’d have another shot in the series. That came just a week later at Road America, where Kaz once again qualified on the pole with a track record, and led every lap to secure the win over veteran Paul Menard.

Grassroots Racing

At just 4 years old, Kaz began his racing journey behind the wheel of a go-kart at F1 Boston in Braintree, Massachusetts. He won multiple go-kart championships before making the switch to short-track oval racing at the age of 9. As a rookie, he won championships at Charlotte Motor Speedway in both Bandoleros and Legend Cars, eventually making the move to full-bodied stock cars when he was 14 years old.

In his second ever start in the UARA-STARS Series, he captured the win at the historic Hickory Motor Speedway – his first time at the track. Following that performance with wins at Caraway Speedway and Martinsville Speedway, Grala was named the 2013 JEGS National Rookie of the Year by Speed 51. When he made the move to super late models, Kaz’s Pro All-Star Series (PASS) debut resulted in a dominant win after qualifying on the pole and leading nearly every lap. This victory by the 16-year-old made him the youngest winner in Kyle Busch Motorsports history.