Dwayne Gray Gaulding Jr. (born February 10, 1998) is an American professional
stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
driver. He last competed part-time in the
NASCAR Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
, driving the No. 47
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro share ...
for
Mike Harmon Racing
Mike Harmon Racing with Gary Keller, formerly Elite 2 Racing, is an American professional stock car racing team that fields the No. 74 Chevrolet Camaro full-time for TBA in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team has also competed in the NASCAR Campin ...
and the No. 6 for
JD Motorsports
JD Motorsports, is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. It is owned and operated by Johnny Davis. It currently fields two Chevrolet Camaro SS teams: The No. 4 for Bayley Currey ...
.
Racing career
Gaulding began racing
motorbike
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: Long-distance ...
s at age 4, and raced cars five years later. When he was 10, Gaulding received two
Bandolero cars, and won in his first Bandolero race. At age 12, Gaulding was the youngest driver in a NASCAR
Legends
A legend is a historical narrative, a symbolic representation of folk belief.
Legend(s) or The Legend(s) may also refer to:
Narrative
* Urban legend, a widely repeated story of dubious truth
* A fictitious identity used in espionage
Books, co ...
Division, and won a Legends car national championship, gaining sponsorship from firearm distributor
GunBroker.com
GunBroker.com is an auction website based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States specializing in the sale of firearms and related items.
History
Established in 1999, GunBroker.com is the world's largest online marketplace for firearms, ammo and acces ...
. Also at age 12, Gaulding defeated NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971 ...
driver
Kevin Harvick
Kevin Michael Harvick (born December 8, 1975) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Harvick is the 2014 Cup Series champio ...
at Harvick's karting track, which prompted Harvick to sign Gaulding to
Kevin Harvick Incorporated
Kevin Harvick, Inc., colloquially referred to as KHI, was a NASCAR team owned by NASCAR Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick and his wife DeLana, who is the daughter of former Busch Series driver John Linville. The team owned cars in the NASCAR Natio ...
's
driver development program
A driver development program (or driver development team) is a system or structure designed for young kart and race car drivers to learn and perfect their racing skills. These programmes are devised by racing teams, external companies and funded ...
.
At 13, Gaulding became the youngest
Super late model
A late model car is a car which has been recently designed or manufactured, often the latest model. (An early model car or classic car is a car old enough to be of historical interest; there is no usual intermediate term.)
The precise definition ...
race winner, and was also the youngest driver to win the
Pro All Stars Series
The Pro All Stars Series is a stock car racing governing body active in the United States of America and Canada. The series started in 2001 and now sanctions various series including North, South, and National Super Late Model tours and a New Eng ...
(PASS) Rookie of the Year Award.
After KHI shut down in 2011, he was released from the team's driver development program. When he was 14, Gaulding was volunteering at the Victory Junction Gang Camp when he agreed to five one-year contracts with
Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme, Inc. (previously Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.) is an American multinational doughnut company and coffeehouse chain.
Krispy Kreme was founded by Vernon Rudolph (1915–1973), who bought a yeast-raised recipe from a New Orleans ch ...
as a sponsor.
K&N Pro Series East
![Gray Gaulding GGR Toyota Richmond 2013](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Gray_Gaulding_GGR_Toyota_Richmond_2013.jpg)
In 2013, Gaulding ran the No. 20 Krispy Kreme
Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
in both the
K&N Pro Series East
The ARCA Menards Series East (formerly Busch East Series, Busch North Series, Camping World East Series, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East) is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and ...
and
West
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...
. He won the
pole position
In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...
at
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond Raceway (RR) is a , ''D''-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Known as ...
at 15 years, 2 months, 15 days, becoming the youngest pole-sitter in NASCAR history, more than four months younger than
Cole Custer
Cole Matthew Custer (born January 23, 1998) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 00 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. He previously drove for the team full-tim ...
, the previous record holder. In the season-ending Pro Series West race at
Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix Raceway is a 1-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually including the final championship race since 2020. P ...
, Gaulding spun out Custer on the final lap to win, becoming the youngest race winner in K&N series history at 15 years, 8 months and 30 days. During the year, Gaulding was named to the NASCAR Next program, which highlights NASCAR's future stars.
In 2014, Gaulding was hired by
NTS Motorsports
NTS Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team was owned by Californian Bob Newberry, coming into its current form after Joe Denette Motorsports merged with New ...
to run full-time in the K&N East series.
Truck Series
Gaulding joined NTS Motorsports in the No. 20, and ran eight races in the
2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
The 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was the 20th season of the Camping World Truck Series, the third highest stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in North America. The season was contested over twenty-two races, beginning with ...
season;
he made his Truck Series debut at
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in s ...
. On lap 243, Gaulding was running three-wide, and was turned around. Gaulding finished 19th. Gaulding recorded his best finish of the year at
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport Park and Mosport International Raceway) is a multi-track motorsport venue located north of Bowmanville, in Ontario, Canada, east of Toronto. The facility features a , 10-turn road course; a adva ...
, finishing 4th in the
Chevrolet Silverado 250
The Chevrolet Silverado 250 was a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Mosport). It was first held in 2013, and served as the second round of the Truck Series playoffs from their introduction in 2016.
His ...
.
On March 23, 2015, Gaulding was released by NTS Motorsports, and joined
Red Horse Racing
Red Horse Racing was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team was based in Mooresville, North Carolina. It was co-owned by former Mobil 1 marketing executive Tom DeLoach a ...
, making his debut for the team at Martinsville where he finished 17th. He later joined
Kyle Busch Motorsports
Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. They formerly competed in the CARS Tour, ARCA/CRA Super Series, Southern Super Series, and the ARCA Mena ...
, driving the No. 54
Toyota Tundra
The Toyota Tundra is a pickup truck manufactured in the United States by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota since May 1999. The Tundra was the second full-size pickup to be built by a Japanese manufacturer (the first was the Toyota T100), but the ...
in three races at Mosport,
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
and Martinsville.
Xfinity Series
![08GrayGaulding2019CTECH180](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/08GrayGaulding2019CTECH180.jpg)
In 2016, Gaulding joined
Roush Fenway Racing Roush is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Politics
*Glenn Roush (1934–2020), American politician in Montana
*J. Edward Roush (1920–2004), United States Representative for Indiana, namesake of:
** J. Edward Roush Lake, a rese ...
's driver development program and made his
NASCAR Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
debut in the No. 60 at
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the m ...
, while also running another round at Richmond.
For the 2019 season, Gaulding drove No. 08 Chevy for
SS-Green Light Racing
SS-Green Light Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, fielding the No. 07 Ford primarily for Joe Graf Jr. and the No. 08 for primarily for David Starr. They also have a tech ...
full-time. In April's
MoneyLion 300
The Ag-Pro 300 is a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held at Talladega Superspeedway, a 300-mile race. It is held annually before the NASCAR Cup Series race, the GEICO 500.
From its inception in 1992 through 1996, the race was held in the summer, as ...
at
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway, nicknamed “'Dega”, and formerly named Alabama International Motor Speedway (AIMS) from 1969 to 1989, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base ...
, Gaulding finished a career-best second behind
Tyler Reddick
Tyler George Reddick (born January 11, 1996) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing, and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving ...
.
On January 16, 2020, it was announced that
Joe Graf Jr.
Joseph A. Graf Jr. (born July 12, 1998) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the Nos. 07 and 08 Ford Mustangs for SS-Green Light Racing, the No. 38 Mustang for RSS ...
would take over the No. 08 car for the
2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series
The 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series was the 39th season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, a stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the NASCAR Racing Experience 300 on F ...
season, leaving Gaulding without a ride. Despite losing his full-time seat with the team, Gaulding returned to SS-Green Light for Talladega, where he piloted the No. 07 to an eighth-place run. Another ride opportunity with the same team saw Gaulding score another second-place finish in the
Wawa 250
The Wawa 250 Powered By Coca-Cola is a NASCAR Xfinity Series race that is held at Daytona International Speedway. Scheduled as a race, it is held the night before the NASCAR Cup Series' Coke Zero Sugar 400, and was run on Independence Day weeken ...
at
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NA ...
, being beaten by eventual winner
Justin Haley. Gaulding later joined
Mike Harmon Racing
Mike Harmon Racing with Gary Keller, formerly Elite 2 Racing, is an American professional stock car racing team that fields the No. 74 Chevrolet Camaro full-time for TBA in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team has also competed in the NASCAR Campin ...
for a late-season drive at the
Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
On January 26, 2021, it was reported that Gaulding would return to the Xfinity Series full-time for
Jimmy Means Racing
Jimmy Means Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, fielding the No. 52 Chevrolet Camaro part-time for Harrison Rhodes, Gar Robinson, and Brennan Poole. It is owned by former driver ...
. At the conclusion of the
Martinsville race, a fight broke out on pit road between Gaulding and
Joe Graf Jr.
Joseph A. Graf Jr. (born July 12, 1998) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the Nos. 07 and 08 Ford Mustangs for SS-Green Light Racing, the No. 38 Mustang for RSS ...
after Gaulding wrecked Graf on lap 177.
Cup Series
In late 2016, Gaulding attempted to make his
Sprint Cup Series
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971 ...
debut at Martinsville, driving the No. 30 car for
The Motorsports Group
Key Motorsports (formerly The Motorsports Group and Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group) was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded by Virginia businessm ...
. Gaulding joined
BK Racing
BK Racing was an American professional stock car racing team that fielded entries in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series from 2012 to 2018. It most recently fielded the No. 23 Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion for J. J. Yeley, Gray Gaulding, and o ...
's No. 23 car for the 2017 season, driving in 33 races. Gaulding was not approved to run the Daytona 500 due to lack of experience on larger tracks (1.5 miles or greater). On June 13, 2017, he was replaced by
Ryan Sieg
Ryan Shane Sieg (born June 20, 1987) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 38 and 39 Ford Mustangs for RSS Racing. He is the younger brother of late ...
at
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
. Later in the month, Gaulding announced he had joined
Premium Motorsports
Premium Motorsports (formerly Jay Robinson Racing) was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team last fielded the No. 15 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 LE full-time for Brennan Poole, and the No. 27 Cam ...
' No. 55 Camry for the Cup races at
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
and
Loudon. On June 5, 2017, BK Racing released Gaulding because of financial issues; however, he would later return to the team at Darlington. At Talladega, Gaulding survived a crash-filled race to post his career-best finish of ninth.
Gaulding would return to BK Racing in 2018, but left the team after running the first 17 races as it fell into financial turmoil. He joined
StarCom Racing
StarCom Racing (SCR) was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. Based in Salisbury, North Carolina, the team last fielded the No. 00 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE full-time for Quin Houff in a te ...
for two races in the No. 99 before moving to
Rick Ware Racing
Rick Ware Racing (RWR) is an American motorsports team which currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the NTT IndyCar Series.
History
The organizational roots of RWR date back to Ware & Sons Racing with ...
. He returned to Ware for the
2019 Food City 500 and a part-time schedule in 2020.
Personal life
Gray is the son of Dwayne and Kristin (Martek) Gaulding. A native of
Colonial Heights, Virginia
Colonial Heights is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,170. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the City of Colonial Heights (along with the City of Petersburg) with Dinwiddi ...
, Gaulding's father, Dwayne, was the vice president of operations at NTS Motorsports.
Motorsports career results
Career summary
NASCAR
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings. * – Most laps led.)
Cup Series
Season still in progress
Ineligible for series points
=Daytona 500
=
Xfinity Series
Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
K&N Pro Series East
K&N Pro Series West
ARCA Racing Series
(
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
) (
Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaulding, Gray
Living people
1998 births
People from Colonial Heights, Virginia
Racing drivers from Virginia
NASCAR drivers
ARCA Menards Series drivers
Kyle Busch Motorsports drivers
RFK Racing drivers