(Photo: Sam Draiss | The Podium Finish)
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Kaz Grala doesn’t always have regular opportunities to prove himself in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. That’s why he puts a little extra emphasis on each race he runs.
In Saturday’s Sunoco Go Rewards 200 at Watkins Glen International, Grala reminded everyone of his capabilities behind the wheel.
Driving for Big Machine Racing, Grala notched a fifth-place finish, his best NASCAR result this season.
Grala has made five starts with the team this season, including the last two races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and Michigan. He finished 32nd and 18th in those races, respectively, and finished outside the top 20 in races with the team at Talladega and Dover.
But unlike the first four races, Grala put together a complete race at Watkins Glen.
“I’ve had bad luck in almost every race I’ve had this year,” Grala said. “Finally, we had a race mostly without hiccups, not 100%, but a fairly clean race. That’s the biggest momentum booster, even more so than the finish.
“There’s been some cool moments throughout the season and some races I’ve been really proud of, but this is probably the top of the list for this season.”
Grala spent most of the race running in the top 10 and even contended for the lead at one point. After Ty Gibbs and William Byron spun with five laps to go, Grala gained a few more spots to sneak into the top five.
He ran a mainly clean race, though contact with Brandon Jones on Lap 38 sent the No. 19 car spinning in Turn 7. Jones suffered front-end damage and finished 24th.
“I feel so bad about the 19,” Grala said. “I overshot the last corner and just totally drove through him. I got to go talk to him. I did not mean to clean him out at all.”
In addition to his starts with Big Machine, Grala made three starts earlier this year with Alpha Prime Racing. In the Truck Series, he’s made nine starts with Young’s Motorsports, recording a top 10 at Mid-Ohio.
Grala has also made Cup Series starts at Daytona, COTA and Charlotte with The Money Team Racing, a team owned by former boxer Floyd Mayweather.
However, Grala doesn’t have much lined up for the rest of the season. He has three more Truck Series races with Young’s, but that’s all he has set in stone.
Going forward, Grala wants a full-time opportunity in NASCAR. He hasn’t held a full-time ride since 2017 when he scored a win and 11 top 10s with GMS in Trucks.
Since then, Grala has jumped around, picking up opportunities with JGL Racing, Jordan Anderson Racing and Richard Childress Racing. But, nothing stuck in a full-time capacity.
“It’s been a number of years since I’ve been full-time anywhere,” Grala said. “I personally think that my capability, my potential has yet to be shown in this sport. I think we’ve seen little clips of it, but I do think with the right chance to work together every week, I think I could do a lot more”
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will return to the Big Machine car at Daytona while Marco Andretti will drive the Charlotte ROVAL. Additionally, ARCA Menards Series points leader Nick Sanchez will be in the car four times in the final eight weeks.
However, Big Machine is still looking to fill the car for five more races. Whether or not Grala returns, he’s enjoyed working with the team.
“Every race I’ve gotten to work with the Big Machine Racing guys, I’ve really enjoyed it,” Grala said. “It’s a great group of guys. They’re a lot of fun. They like to have fun and keep it light-hearted at the track.
“I have fun every time I race for them, but it puts the cherry on top when you can actually go out and cap it off with a good finish.”