Taylor Gray will officially embark in his first full-time season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with TRICON Garage in 2024.
The news comes as the 18-year-old Gray from Artesia, New Mexico, is coming off his rookie season in the Truck Series, where he achieved three top-five results, six top-10 results, two laps led, an average-finishing result of 14.6 through 20 starts and a 15th-place result in the final driver’s standings. He was unable to compete in the series on a full-time basis until he turned 18 years of age in March, which saw him miss the first three events on the schedule.
“The opportunity to continue to grow with TRICON and Toyota is not one that I take for granted,” Gray said. “I am excited to tackle my first complete Truck season and continue developing into a weekly contender. I am ready to hit the ground running and am prepared to win races in 2024.”
Gray, who grew up competing in late models and was elevated to the CARS Late Model Stock Tour and the ARCA Menards Series East with DGR-Crosley, has three ARCA Menards Series victories, one ARCA Menards Series East win and five ARCA Menards Series West victories to date, with his best points result being a runner-up finish in 2022 ARCA East division.
In 2021, Gray made his Truck Series debut at Watkins Glen International with David Gilliland Racing, where he finished 35th. He competed in four additional Truck events throughout the season before returning for eight additional starts in 2022 and then competing for a majority of events this past season with TRICON. His best on-track result to date is a runner-up finish at Kansas Speedway in September. Previously, he achieved a third-place finish at Pocono Raceway in July.
Gray, who will continue to pilot the No. 17 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, becomes the fourth competitor to be retained by TRICON for the 2024 Truck Series season. His older brother Tanner, Corey Heim and Dean Thompson have been confirmed to return to the organization and pilot the Nos. 15, 11 and 5 entries, respectively, next season.
With his racing plans for next season set, Taylor Gray’s first full-time campaign in the Craftsman Truck Series commences at Daytona International Speedway. The season opener is scheduled to occur on February 16, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
