TAYLOR GRAY CLAIMS FIRST VICTORY OF THE SEASON AT KANSAS
Joe Gibbs Racing dominated Kansas race winning both stages and the race
KANSAS CITY (April 18, 2026) – Taylor Gray claimed his first win of the season, and second victory overall in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, on Saturday night at Kansas Speedway. Gray took the lead after a great pit call by Jason Ratcliff in the final pit cycle and held it for the balance of the race. Brent Crews finished fifth – his second straight top-five finish – to put two Supras in the top-five, while Joe Gibbs Racing swept the day with Gio Ruggiero winning the ARCA race this afternoon.
Brandon Jones had the dominate car most of the race, winning both stages and leading the most laps, before a pit road penalty relegated his Supra to eighth at the finish. Dean Thompson (11th) – just missed his second top-10 of the year, and gave Toyota four of the top-11.
TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS)
Kansas Speedway
Race 10 of 33 – 200 miles, 300 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, TAYLOR GRAY
2nd, Sheldon Creed*
3rd, Justin Allgaier*
4th, Jesse Love*
5th, BRENT CREWS
8th, BRANDON JONES
11th, DEAN THOMPSON
20th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
28th, HARRISON BURTON
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
TAYLOR GRAY, No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
How big is this performance?
“First off – thank you to everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, TOYOTA RACING, Operation 300 – and how about (crew chief) Jason Ratcliff. Man, that pit call was awesome. I knew we had a car capable of winning. I thought the 20 (Brandon Jones) was better than us in before the green flag cycle, but you just have to stay locked in. We needed to be a little bit freer – Jason made a really good adjustment on the car, a really good pit call. Can’t thank everyone enough. It’s been a long start to the year. Not that we aren’t bringing speed to the race track, things just haven’t gone our way, so it is nice to be able to close one out.”
What did you have to balance in the closing laps?
“I knew the 00 (Sheldon Creed) was starting to catch me. I was starting to get a little bit snug trying to turn down the hill, and it seemed like he was on the freer side. I had navigate lap traffic better than he could and get him to heat up his rears to try to catch me. I think he ended up getting in the wall trying to catch me, it was a fun race. Just glad to be here.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
