Tanner Gray Bio
Tanner Sean Gray (born April 15, 1999) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 15 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for Tricon Garage. Gray first gained national attention in drag racing, where he became the youngest professional driver to win a national event in NHRA history, and the youngest driver to win a solo NHRA season championship. He later transitioned from drag racing to stock cars and now balances a competitive NASCAR schedule.
Early Life and Background
Tanner Sean Gray was born on April 15, 1999, in Artesia, New Mexico, to professional drag racer Shane Gray and his wife Amber. He is the grandson of funny car and pro stock champion Johnny Gray, making Tanner a third-generation Gray to compete in the NHRA. Beyond racing, Johnny Gray served as president of Marbob Energy, a New Mexico oil producer that was sold in 2010 for $1.7 billion in proceeds. Racing was woven into family life from an early age, and Tanner spent his childhood around drag strips and high-performance equipment.
The Gray family relocated from New Mexico to Mooresville, North Carolina, in 2010 so that Shane could pursue a professional drag racing career in the NHRA. Growing up in Mooresville placed Tanner near many of motorsports’ top teams and short tracks. He gained early experience in a variety of cars, including late models, modifieds, midget cars, and stock cars, and he also raced in Mini Outlaw Karts alongside fellow future stars Kyle Larson and Rico Abreu on Wednesday nights at Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury.
Path to NASCAR
Gray’s first major national exposure came in drag racing, but by his late teens he set his sights on stock car racing. On September 25, 2018, he announced he would race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East for DGR-Crosley in 2019, after meeting team owner David Gilliland in the summer of 2018. He earned his first K&N Pro Series East victory at South Boston Speedway in early May 2019, confirming that his transition to stock cars was gaining traction.
In October 2019, Gray made his NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series debut with DGR-Crosley at Martinsville Speedway, driving the No. 15 Toyota Tundra and adding races at ISM Raceway and Homestead–Miami Speedway. On December 16, 2019, DGR-Crosley announced he would run the full Truck Series schedule in 2020, chasing Rookie of the Year honors. That same path allowed him to combine lessons learned in drag racing with the craft of turning left, paving the way for his long-term NASCAR career.
Tanner Gray Career
Early Career (2017–2018)
Gray began his national career in 2017, racing in the Pro Stock class of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series alongside his father Shane Gray. On April 2, 2017, he made NHRA history at the 18th Annual Denso Spark Plug Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, winning the final round against Bo Butner at 17 years, 11 months, and 18 days old. That performance broke the 40-year-old record held by Jeb Allen and earned him the 2017 Auto Club Road to the Future Award as the top rookie across all NHRA pro categories.
In 2018, Gray won eight races on his way to the Pro Stock championship, becoming the youngest-ever NHRA season champion. The title cemented his status as one of drag racing’s brightest young talents, and it gave him a strong platform when he chose to pursue stock car racing full-time.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2019–2022)
Gray’s full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career began in 2020 with DGR-Crosley, which had switched from Toyota to Ford. He posted a respectable rookie season with eight top-ten finishes, four top-fives, a 14th-place result in the final standings, and fifth in Rookie of the Year. In 2021, racing under the rebranded David Gilliland Racing banner, he struggled to a 18th-place points finish with only two top-tens.
Gray bounced back in 2022, opening the season with three consecutive top-ten finishes and adding six top-tens and two top-fives overall to climb to 15th in points. On October 27, 2022, David Gilliland Racing announced it would move to Toyota Racing Development in 2023 and rename to Tricon Garage, with Gray retained as a driver.
Tricon Garage Era (2023–Present)
Gray’s 2023 season opened with a career-best second-place finish at Daytona, trailing only race winner Zane Smith. In May, he captured his first career NASCAR pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway, turning a lap of 29.936 seconds at 180.385 mph. He closed the year 14th in the Truck Series standings, and on November 18, 2024, Tricon Garage announced it had renewed his contract for the 2025 season.
Driving Style and Strengths
Gray blends the precision and reaction speed he developed in Pro Stock drag racing with growing stock car experience. He has shown strength on intermediate and larger tracks, where straight-line speed and mechanical grip matter most, and his qualifying pace at Charlotte demonstrated the raw speed he can carry into race trim. Working with Tricon Garage, he continues to refine his race craft and strategic awareness on restarts and long runs.
Notable Races and Milestones
Among his signature moments, Gray’s Las Vegas Pro Stock win in 2017 remains a historic milestone as the youngest national event winner in NHRA history. In stock cars, his runner-up finish at Daytona to open the 2023 Truck Series season and his first career pole at Charlotte stand out as breakthrough performances that announced his arrival as a full-time NASCAR competitor.
Tanner Gray Career Wins
Gray’s verified victories span drag racing and stock car competition. He captured eight NHRA Pro Stock wins during his 2018 championship run, with his first national triumph coming in 2017 at Las Vegas. In NASCAR, he scored his first K&N Pro Series East win at South Boston Speedway in 2019, establishing a foundation that led to his full-time Truck Series career.
NHRA Pro Stock Highlights
Gray won eight Pro Stock races in 2018 on his way to the championship, becoming the youngest NHRA season champion. His first victory came in April 2017 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he defeated Bo Butner in the final and set the record as the youngest national event winner in NHRA history. The title earned him the 2017 Auto Club Road to the Future Award as the top rookie across the NHRA’s professional categories.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond his Pro Stock and ARCA-level results, Gray’s early national stock car win at South Boston Speedway in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in May 2019 marked his transition to oval racing. He has continued to build consistent top-ten finishes in the Truck Series since moving to Tricon Garage, with his career-best pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway reinforcing his speed on larger tracks.
Tanner Gray Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Racing runs deep in the Gray family. Tanner’s father, Shane Gray, is a professional drag racer and national event champion, and his grandfather, Johnny Gray, is a former funny car and pro stock champion. Tanner is a third-generation NHRA racer, and his younger brother, Taylor Gray, is also a NASCAR driver who competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 54 car. Johnny Gray has co-owned Tricon Garage since 2021, keeping the family’s hands-on role in motorsports alive.
Personal Life
Gray was raised in Artesia, New Mexico, before his family moved to Mooresville, North Carolina, in 2010 to support Shane Gray’s NHRA career. He continues to make his home in Mooresville, near many of NASCAR’s top teams, and he remains close with his brother Taylor as both pursue full-time stock car careers. Gray stays connected with fans through his social media presence, where he shares updates on his racing schedule and family life.
2025 Season Performance
Gray enters the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season with momentum after Tricon Garage renewed his contract on November 18, 2024. He returns to the No. 15 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, continuing his partnership with the team that switched to Toyota Racing Development in 2023. With several years of full-time Truck Series experience now under his belt, he is focused on turning consistent top-ten pace into a run deeper into the playoffs.
His 2023 breakthrough results, including a runner-up finish at Daytona and his first career pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway, have set a strong baseline for the new season. Tricon Garage’s move to Toyota has provided improved equipment and technical support, giving Gray a stable platform to refine his qualifying and race-day execution. As the season develops, he is positioned to challenge for stage wins, additional poles, and a potential first NASCAR victory.