CONCORD, N.C. – Eleven days ago, Kaz Grala informed the industry via Twitter that he was out of a ride, as his team, JGL Racing, was shutting down operations.
Three days after that, he received an opportunity with Fury RaceCars to run the No. 61 Ford for four races.
And on Saturday, he climbed out of the No. 61 Ford with a 10th-place finish in the Xfinity Series’ event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Twice actually, because they had to document the moment of him.
The 19-year-old was beaming.
RELATED: Full race results
“I don’t know how this is possible, but it was and it’s fantastic,” Grala said on pit road, after a series of hugs and words of praise. “Great debut for us; I can’t say enough about how hard everyone’s worked. I mean, I don’t think anyone’s slept in the last week-and-a-half. I hope they’re excited now because I hope this will make their hard work pay off. I’m looking forward to the next three races here, we’re going to have a blast. …
“Unbelievable. Honestly, I don’t even know what to say about it.”
The Xfinity race won by Brad Keselowski was akin to Grala’s up-and-down journey, as scattered showers brought out a 61-minute red flag, and a late-race wreck forced an overtime finish. Grala dipped out of the top 10 and worked his way back during the waning laps.
“I was aggressive, as much as I could be, because I knew that these guys deserved a good run and heck, I didn’t want to be the reason they didn’t get it,” he said. “I was driving my guts out there and if you ask them, I think I asked for like six different water bottles during that race because I literally was leaving (everything) on the table.
“But that’s the way you got to race in the Xfinity Series here; everyone’s just too freaking good to not go all out every single lap. Really proud of everybody; I can’t thank everyone enough. This is a dream come true for me.”
For Grala, the race is where he could really give the team his all. Before he could even take the green flag, Grala had to first make the race and keep the car in one piece, as his team didn’t have a backup car in tow.
“Make the race; That was No. 1,” Grala said to a chorus of laughs in regards to his goals for Saturday. “That was our first little check mark there for the day. We were really worried when it was raining because we wouldn’t have made it in on owners points. …
“In practice, yes, our mock run, yes,” he continued on preserving the car. “Even qualifying (I) had to be a little bit careful.
“In the race? Absolutely not.”
After the race, Grala pushed the No. 61 back into the garage with his team. For a driver who was dealt a card of uncertainty less than two weeks prior, he’s feeling grateful — and eager for his next three events.
“There’s a lot to be excited about from that race,” Grala said. “I know that I am, and I think I speak for everybody when I say this was a wildly successful debut for us.”