Tanner Gray Bio
Tanner Sean Gray, born on 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 as a drag racer, becoming the youngest professional driver to win a national event in NHRA history before transitioning into NASCAR’s developmental ladder and national series.
Early Life and Background
Tanner Sean Gray was born on April 15, 1999, in Artesia, New Mexico. He is the son of Shane Gray, a professional drag racer and national event champion, and his wife Amber. The Gray family is a multi-generational racing family, with Tanner’s grandfather, Johnny Gray, a funny car and pro stock champion in the NHRA. Beyond racing, Johnny Gray also served as president of Marbob Energy, a New Mexico oil producer, and Tanner and his sister sold the company in 2010 for $1.7 billion in proceeds.
The Gray family relocated from New Mexico to Mooresville, North Carolina in 2010 so that Shane Gray could pursue a professional drag racing career in the NHRA. Growing up in Mooresville placed Tanner at the center of the American motorsports scene. He began competing at a young age on short tracks in the region, racing Mini Outlaw Karts alongside fellow future stars Kyle Larson and Rico Abreu on Wednesday nights at Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury.
Path to NASCAR
Gray made his NHRA Pro Stock debut in 2017, racing alongside his father, Shane Gray. On April 2, 2017, thirteen days before his eighteenth birthday, Gray won the final round of the Denso Spark Plug Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway against Bo Butner, becoming the youngest professional driver to win a national event in NHRA history. He capped his rookie drag racing season by winning the 2017 Auto Club Road to the Future Award as the top rookie across all NHRA pro categories.
In 2018, Gray won eight Pro Stock races and claimed the NHRA Pro Stock championship, becoming the youngest driver ever to win a solo NHRA season championship. On September 25, 2018, he announced a move to stock cars, signing with DGR-Crosley to race in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2019 after meeting team owner David Gilliland that summer. He wasted no time, picking up his first ARCA Menards Series East win at South Boston Speedway in early May 2019.
Tanner Gray Career
Early Career (2017–2018)
Gray’s professional career began in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series in 2017, when he raced in the Pro Stock class alongside his father, Shane Gray. His breakthrough came almost immediately at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where his victory over Bo Butner made national headlines and set a new NHRA record. He closed his rookie season by earning the Auto Club Road to the Future Award.
The following year, Gray dominated the Pro Stock ranks, winning eight events and securing the 2018 NHRA Pro Stock championship. The title confirmed his status as one of the most promising young drivers in American motorsports and laid the foundation for his switch to stock cars.
ARCA Series Breakthrough (2019–2020)
Gray transitioned to stock car racing in 2019 with DGR-Crosley, running the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East full-time and making select ARCA Menards Series starts. He posted a third-place finish in the East Series standings and won the South Boston race early in the year. In the ARCA Menards Series, he ran a limited schedule, finishing 19th in points.
In 2020, he continued in both the ARCA Menards Series East and the main ARCA Menards Series, sharing the No. 17 car with his younger brother Taylor Gray and Anthony Alfredo. He returned to the ARCA Menards Series briefly in 2021, finishing seventh in the Daytona season-opener. In December 2023, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Gray would return to the ARCA Menards Series in 2024, driving the No. 18 car for six races at tracks 1.5 miles and longer, a role created because the team’s regular driver, William Sawalich, was under the minimum age for those venues. In 2024, he won twice in ARCA, taking the General Tire 150 at Charlotte and the Reese’s 150 at Kansas.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2019–2022)
Gray made his NASCAR Truck Series debut at Martinsville Speedway in October 2019 with DGR-Crosley, running three races to close the season. In December 2019, the team announced that Gray would run the full 2020 Truck Series schedule in pursuit of Rookie of the Year honors. Driving a Ford F-150 after the team switched from Toyota to Ford, he posted eight top-ten finishes and four top-five results, finishing 14th in points and fifth in Rookie of the Year.
His 2021 campaign, run under the new David Gilliland Racing banner, was more difficult, producing only two top tens and an 18th-place finish in points. He rebounded in 2022, opening the year with three consecutive top-ten finishes, earning six top tens and two top fives, and improving to 15th in the final standings. On October 27, 2022, the organization announced it would switch to Toyota Racing Development engines and rebrand as Tricon Garage, with Gray retained as one of its drivers.
Tricon Garage Era (2023–Present)
Gray opened the 2023 Truck Series season with a career-best second-place finish at Daytona, narrowly missing the win to Zane Smith. He later captured his first career Truck Series pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2023, with a lap of 29.936 seconds at 180.385 mph. He finished the season ranked 14th in points. On November 18, 2024, Tricon Garage announced that Gray’s contract had been renewed for the 2025 season, locking in his continued role as the driver of the No. 15 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.
His best Truck Series points result to date is 13th, a mark he has reached in both 2024 and 2025. Through the 2025 season, he has recorded 34 career top-ten finishes and 2 poles in the series without a win, building toward his first Truck Series victory.
Driving Style and Strengths
Gray is a precision racer whose drag racing background shows in his consistent, low-mistake approach. He has produced strong results on intermediate tracks, including his two ARCA Menards Series wins at Charlotte and Kansas in 2024, and his Charlotte pole and Daytona runner-up in the Truck Series.
Notable Races and Milestones
Gray’s most historic moment came at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in April 2017, when he became the youngest professional to win an NHRA national event. He followed it with the 2018 NHRA Pro Stock title. In the Truck Series, he has notched a runner-up finish at Daytona, a pole at Charlotte, and a 13th-place points finish in both 2024 and 2025.
Tanner Gray Career Wins
Tanner Gray has accumulated wins across drag racing and the ARCA Menards Series, while still chasing his first victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. His earliest triumphs came in NHRA Pro Stock, where he won eight races on his way to the 2018 national championship.
NHRA Pro Stock Highlights
Gray made an immediate impact in the NHRA, winning his Pro Stock debut national event at Las Vegas in 2017 at 17 years, 11 months, and 18 days old. He was named the 2017 Auto Club Road to the Future Award winner, the NHRA’s top rookie honor across all pro categories, and followed it by capturing the 2018 Pro Stock championship with eight wins.
Other Wins and Performances
In stock cars, Gray captured an ARCA Menards Series East win at South Boston Speedway in 2019. In 2024, he added two ARCA Menards Series victories with Joe Gibbs Racing, the General Tire 150 at Charlotte and the Reese’s 150 at Kansas. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he has earned 34 top-ten finishes and 2 poles, with a best points result of 13th in 2024 and 2025.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHRA Pro Stock | 8 | ||
| ARCA Menards Series East | 1 | 9 | 1 |
| ARCA Menards Series | 2 | 14 | 2 |
| ARCA Menards Series West | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 0 | 34 | 2 |
Tanner Gray Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Tanner Gray was raised in a multi-generational racing family. His father, Shane Gray, is a professional drag racer and NHRA national event champion, and his grandfather, Johnny Gray, is a funny car and pro stock champion. This lineage makes Tanner a third-generation Gray competitor in the NHRA. His younger brother, Taylor Gray, is also a NASCAR driver, currently competing full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 54 car. Since 2021, Johnny Gray has co-owned Tricon Garage, the very team Tanner drives for in the Truck Series.
Personal Life
Tanner Gray was born and raised in Artesia, New Mexico, before his family moved to Mooresville, North Carolina, in 2010 to support Shane Gray’s professional drag racing career. He continues to reside in the Mooresville area while competing on the NASCAR circuit.
2025 Season Performance
Tanner Gray’s 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign represents his third full season with Tricon Garage. Driving the No. 15 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, he has mirrored his 2024 form, posting a best career points finish of 13th in the standings. His run has been defined by consistency rather than a breakthrough win, with multiple top-ten finishes keeping him in the upper tier of the series.
The Tricon Garage organization, which switched to Toyota Racing Development ahead of 2023, has continued to build around Gray as a core driver. While he has yet to find Victory Lane in the Truck Series, his 34 career top-ten finishes and 2 poles underline a steady upward trajectory for the team and driver pairing.
Looking ahead, Gray remains a young driver with a diverse racing background spanning drag racing, ARCA, and the Truck Series. His two 2024 ARCA wins at Charlotte and Kansas suggest he can be a factor on the larger tracks, and 2025 offers a strong opportunity for him to convert consistent top-ten speed into a first NASCAR national series victory.
