Taylor Gray has inked a one-year contract extension to continue to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2027.
The news comes as the 21-year-old Gray from Artesia, New Mexico, is currently campaigning in his second full-time season in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series and as the driver of the No. 54 JGR Toyota Supra entry. Through 21-scheduled starts this season, Gray recorded a single victory at Kansas Speedway in mid-April. He has also registered a pole at Phoenix Raceway in early March, three top-five results, eight top-10 results, 189 laps led and an average-finishing result of 17.7. He is also ranked in 12th place in the standings and is 17 points above the top-12 cutline to be in contention for making this year’s Chase.
”I am super appreciative of everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing for this opportunity,” Gray said. ”I feel like [crew chief] Jason [Ratcliff] and I have developed a really strong relationship that goes beyond racing. He has been a great mentor to me and helped me a ton both on and off the track. And overall, our team continues to grow and improve, so I’m excited about the rest of this season and next year working together again.”
Gray made his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Richmond Raceway in mid-March 2024, where he drove JGR’s No. 19 Toyota entry to a third-place result. He campaigned in 12 additional events, where he recorded another top-five result in the form of a fifth-place finish at Pocono Raceway and a total of three top-10 results, before he was named a full-time competitor of JGR’s No. 54 Toyota entry for the 2025 season.
This past season, Gray made the Playoffs and notched a total of three poles, seven top-five results, 15 top-10 results, 299 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.0 throughout the 33-race schedule. Despite having his Playoff run eliminated early following the first round, Round of 12, he scored his first career victory during the season’s penultimate event at Martinsville Speedway and finished in seventh place in the standings. During his rookie O’Reilly season, Gray worked with the 2009 O’Reilly championship-winning crew chief, Jason Ratcliff. Ratcliff will remain as Gray’s crew chief along with the No. 54 JGR Toyota team in 2027.
Through 67 current starts in the O’Reilly division, Gray has accumulated a pair of victories, four poles, 12 top-five results, 26 top-10 results, 501 laps led and an average-finishing result of 16.7 as he continues pursuit of his first NASCAR national touring series championship.
”We are excited to have Taylor back with us next season,” Heather Gibbs, co-owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, said. ”He has an incredible work ethic, and that shows with how much he continues to improve. We look forward to Taylor and the 54 team finishing this season strong and building on that success for 2027.”
With his plans for the 2027 season set, Taylor Gray’s 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season continues with the upcoming Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, an event in which Gray contended for the victory in the closing laps before finishing in third place. The event is scheduled to occur this Saturday, July 25, at 4 p.m. ET on the CW Network, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, and SiriusXM.
