Taylor Gray, who made the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs this season as the driver of the No. 17 Toyota Tundra for TRICON Garage, will officially move to the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time in 2025 as the driver of the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota GR Supra. Gray will be paired with crew chief Tyler Allen.
JGR made the official announcement on Wednesday afternoon.
SIGNED ?? @TaylorGray17_ will wheel the 54 Toyota GR Supra full-time in the #NASCAR @XfinityRacing series in 2025!#TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/vI6cY1rzHR
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) October 16, 2024
”I am very thankful for this opportunity,” said Gray in a team press release. ”I feel like I have learned a lot in the races I have ran this year and we can build on that next season. Being able to work with Tyler (Allen, crew chief) and these guys for a few races has been a great headstart on next season and getting that chemistry going, so I’m really excited about what we can do running together fulltime.”
While Gray, 19, has yet to pick up his first victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ranks, the native of New Mexico has impressed with two top-five finishes and three top-10s in 12 starts this season with Joe Gibbs Racing. JGR is excited to add the young, and talented racer to their full-time driver lineup next season.
”We’re looking forward to adding Taylor to our lineup full-time next year,” said Steve de Souza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Development for JGR. ”Taylor’s strong season in the Truck Series, along with his performance with us on the Xfinity side have been impressive. With Taylor in the Xfinity car every week in 2025, we expect that trend to continue and we’re looking forward to him competing for wins and the championship.”
Gray particularly impressed in his series debut at Richmond Raceway in the spring, a race where he recorded the best finish, to date, of his career. Gray came home third in that race behind his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Chandler Smith and Aric Almirola.
The younger brother of fellow NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series contender Tanner Gray, currently sits sixth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship standings with three races remaining in the season.
Prior to moving to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series full-time in 2023, Gray impressed at the ARCA Menards Series level as he amassed three wins in a part-time 2022 ARCA Menards Series season, and he also finished runner-up in the ARCA Menards Series East championship standings that year.
Gray recorded a total of nine wins between the three ARCA Menards Series divisions (National, East, and West) prior to moving to the NASCAR National Series ranks.
