Taylor Gray leads 87 laps before being involved in a last lap accident
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (March 29, 2025) – Dean Thompson earned stage points and finished a career-best sixth in a caution-filled NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday evening. Thompson, the top-finishing rookie driver, bested an eighth-place finish in the season opener at Daytona to score a best-ever finish for Sam Hunt Racing (SHR) at the track. SHR had a solid day overall with Patrick Staropoli finishing 16th in his series debut in a second GR Supra entry for the team.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Taylor Gray led 87 laps, and had the lead going into the final corner before the second-place driver made contact with the Toyota Development Driver, causing Gray to spin and a large accident ensued. In the final finishing order, Gray was scored 29th.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Martinsville Speedway
Race 7 of 33 – 131.5 miles, 250 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Austin Hill*
2nd, Sheldon Creed*
3rd, Justin Allgaier*
4th, Brennan Poole*
5th, Sam Mayer*
6th, DEAN THOMPSON
12th, ARIC ALMIROLA
16th, PATRICK STAROPOLI
22nd, BRANDON JONES
27th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
29th, TAYLOR GRAY
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
DEAN THOMPSON, No. 26 Thompson Pipe Group Toyota GR Supra, Sam Hunt Racing
Finishing Position: 6th
Stage points and another career-best run. How was your race?
“I’ve got a great group of guys at Sam Hunt Racing. We came into this race knowing we were going to have a good car. Practice and qualified really well and brought the car back in good shape. That is kind of what it is all about here – keeping it in one piece and making it to the end. I knew if we made it to the end, we would be fine. Just learning all day – my first time here in these kind of cars. I’m lucky to have spun – it sounds weird, but I’m lucky to have spun and not hit anything because I learn the limit. I’m pretty lucky to get out of there unscathed and get a good finish out of it. I’m really proud of my guys. We made good adjustments. We spun that last time, and we came and put a set of scuffs on it and I didn’t know if that was the right move, but obviously it was at the end. I’m really proud of my guys. My Thompson Pipe Group Toyota GR Supra was very fast.”
TAYLOR GRAY, No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 29th
What happened from your perspective?
“I feel like we had the best car all day. I can’t thank everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing enough. We brought a really fast Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra. Just unfortunate – it’s the same story I’ve lived here for the past two Martinsville race in a row. It sucks, but it is what it is. Long year.”
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.
