NASCAR Cup Series
Justin Haley Assigned No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Car; Team Acquires Chris Lawson
Jan 16, 2024
After spending many years bouncing between smaller, part-time roles in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 25-year-old Kaz Grala is now getting the best opportunity of his career at NASCAR's top level.
A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Grala has been selected by Rick Ware Racing to serve as the primary driver of the No. 15 Ford Mustang in 2024, which will entail a 25-race schedule in the NASCAR Cup Series.
“Kaz Grala is a talented and tenacious driver who brings a lot to our race team,” said Rick Ware, owner of Rick Ware Racing. “He has an incredible work ethic and leverages every opportunity to its full potential. He’s an asset inside and outside of the car who will help make our program better.”
Grala will make his on-track debut with Rick Ware Racing in the pre-season exhibition event at the LA Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, February 4, before making his points-paying debut with the organization three weeks later at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“I’ve found myself as an underdog at each level of NASCAR, and I feel I thrive in that position,” said Grala, who began racing go karts as a 4-year-old in Massachusetts. “It’s important to get the most out of the car on restarts and in the closing laps of a race, all while taking care of the equipment, and those are my strengths. I also like to be hands-on with the team during the week, involved in what the next step is to advance our program.”
The 2024 NASCAR season will mark the greatest presence that Grala has had in the NASCAR Cup Series, having made seven prior starts between the years of 2020 and 2022, earning a best finish of sixth place at Talladega Superspeedway in 2021, driving for Kaulig Racing.
One season earlier, while serving as an interim driver for Austin Dillon in an unplanned NASCAR Cup Series debut, Grala made a miraculous drive into the top-10 in the No. 3 Chevrolet, claiming a seventh-place result for Richard Childress Racing.
It's those consistent flashes of excellence that have kept Grala relevant in NASCAR's National Series to this point in his career, despite several years of leaping between sporadic appearances in the NASCAR Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series.
Kaz is another crucial piece of our organization and for the same reasons we brought Justin Haley on board, we feel Kaz can also contribute immediately,” Ware said. “Kaz wants to make a difference and, above all, he wants to perform. That’s the kind of drive and determination all of us have at RWR.”
In 2023, while making his first full-time appearance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driving for Sam Hunt Racing, Grala recorded an impressive two top-five results, as well as nine finishes inside the top-10, setting a new single-season record for the organization.
While the level of competition will be much, much higher in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2024, Grala will have the benefit of familiarity in the Rick Ware Racing camp, with Justin Haley working alongside him as the full-time driver of the No. 51 Ford Mustang.
Not only are Haley and Grala amazing friends off-track, but they've also spent time working together as teammates, first at GMS Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and more recently at Kaulig Racing.
“I've been really impressed by RWR’s vision and the plan they’ve laid out to get where they want to be,” Grala said. “This sport is all about people, and I’ve learned that having everyone pulling in the same direction is the key to success. Every single person at RWR is a racer, and they want to prove themselves in the Cup Series just as badly as I do, so it’s a perfect fit. I’m excited to see what we’re able to accomplish together. I think we’re going to surprise some people this year.”
Additional details surrounding Grala's run at Rick Ware Racing for 2024 -- including marketing partners and an exact schedule of events -- will be announced by the organization in the coming weeks.
