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  • Nick Sanchez named full-time Xfinity competitor for Big Machine Racing in 2025

    Nick Sanchez named full-time Xfinity competitor for Big Machine Racing in 2025

    Nick Sanchez will be graduating to the NASCAR Xfinity Series division on a full-time basis in 2025, where he will be piloting the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro entry for Big Machine Racing.

    The news comes as the 23-year-old Sanchez from Miami, Florida, is campaigning in his second full-time season in the Craftsman Truck Series with Rev Racing. It also comes a week after Parker Kligerman, who currently drives for Big Machine Racing in the Xfinity circuit, announced that he will not be returning to the organization nor pursue any full-time NASCAR driving activities next season.

    The move for Sanchez to Big Machine Racing marks a reunion for both parties after the Miami native drove for the organization in six of the final eight races of the 2022 Xfinity season. During the six-race stint, Sanchez’s best on-track result was seventh at Martinsville Speedway. Amid his part-time Xfinity campaign, he was competing full-time in the ARCA Menards Series for Rev Racing, where he would proceed to win the championship.

    For the 2025 season, Sanchez’s No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet entry will continue to receive primary sponsorship support from Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers. In addition, Gainbridge, which sponsors Sanchez in the Truck Series, will continue to support the Miami native in his first full-time Xfinity stint by serving as his associate sponsor.

    “I couldn’t be more excited to join Big Machine Racing with Chevrolet next year in the Xfinity Series,” Sanchez said in a released statement. “I’m grateful to get the opportunity to work with [CEO] Scott Borchetta, [crew chief] Patrick Donahue, and the whole Big Machine team next year. This amazing opportunity would not be possible without Big Machine Records, Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers, Chevrolet, Gainbridge, the NASCAR Diversity program, Rev Racing, Bono, and everyone at Spire, who made this dream a reality. As a driver, I feel that I’m ready to move to the next level and I look forward to competing for wins and ultimately a championship next year driving the #48 for Big Machine Racing!”

    Sanchez, who grew up competing in go-karts before transcending his way to compete in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for Rev Racing and as a Drive for Diversity member, is a recipient of the 2019 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award. After inking a full-time ARCA Menards Series East deal with Rev in 2020, he notched his first ARCA Menards Series career victory during the 2021 season-finale event at Kansas Speedway.

    During the 2022 season, Sanchez notched the first ARCA Menards Series drivers’ championship for himself and Rev Racing in a season where he recorded three victories. He also made his first eight career starts on the Xfinity circuit, six with Big Machine Racing and two with BJ McLeod Motorsports. The following season, Sanchez became a full-time competitor for Rev Racing in the Truck Series. Despite missing the cutoff to the Championship 4 in a tie-breaker during his first Playoff run, the Miami native notched the series’ Rookie-of-the-Year title. He commenced this season by winning for the first time ever at Daytona in February before winning the series’ 700th Truck race overall at Charlotte in May. To go along with a total of seven top-five results and 10 top-10 results throughout the 16-race regular-season stretch, Sanchez made the Playoffs for a second consecutive season.

    With a 10th-place result during the Truck Series’ Playoff opener at the Milwaukee Mile, Sanchez is ranked in fourth place in the Playoff standings as he continues his pursuit to win his first Truck title while also continuing to impress Big Machine Racing’s CEO Scott Borchetta.

    “In 2022 we put Nick in our car for a handful of races and he was fast right out of the gate,” Borchetta said. “At Martinsville in particular, I watched him go full-on, elbows out, putting the car right where it needed to be, with no fear against the best-of-the-best in the series. Since then, he’s done a fantastic job in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and I know that he and Crew Chief Patrick Donahue and the entire Big Machine Racing Team are going to be a force to be reckoned with in 2025.”

    Amid the excitement of Sanchez joining Big Machine Racing in 2025, Borchetta also took a moment to recognize the team’s current driver Parker Kligerman’s contributions since both first joined forces at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2022 before campaigning on a full-time basis in 2023.

    Through 58 races, Kligerman piloted Big Machine Racing’s No. 48 entry to a total of 12 top-five results, 30 top-10 results, 58 laps led and average-finishing results within the top-13 mark. Kligerman also made the 2023 Xfinity Series Playoffs, where he settled in 10th place in the final standings, and is in a prime position to make the Playoffs for a second consecutive season in 2024.

    “I am so grateful to Parker Kligerman for coming to Big Machine Racing for the 2023 and 2024 seasons,” Borchetta added. “He was the perfect driver at just the right time to help us go to the next level in the Xfinity Series. His smarts as a race driver have been on display since his first race with us. He’s simply a very fast driver that makes very few mistakes and unforced errors.

    “His ability to bring home race cars with all four corners intact while battling door to door is absolutely top percentile in the series, which is fully on display with him on the eve of clinching our second consecutive playoff appearance. He and the team are determined to go as far as we possibly can in the playoffs and, who knows, maybe we’ll cap this off at the finale in Phoenix! I have nothing but great things to say about Parker and I hope that our relationship continues at the highest level as he navigates his next career moves. He will always be a Big Machine Driver.”

    With Sanchez securing next year’s plans for himself and Big Machine Racing, any future plans involving Rev Racing within NASCAR’s top three national touring series remains to be determined.

    Prior to the 2025 season, Nick Sanchez’s 2024 Truck Series Playoff run with Rev Racing continues with the upcoming UNOH 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway this Thursday, September 19, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1. Big Machine Racing’s Xfinity Series season with Parker Kligerman also continues at Bristol for the Food City 300 and the series’ regular-season finale that will air this Friday, September 20, at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network.

  • Kligerman, Big Machine Racing assessed L1 Penalty for Spoiler Modifications at Michigan

    Kligerman, Big Machine Racing assessed L1 Penalty for Spoiler Modifications at Michigan

    NASCAR assessed an L1 penalty to the No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet Camaro team driven by Parker Kligerman following this past weekend’s Xfinity Series event at Michigan International Speedway.

    Kligerman’s No. 48 Chevrolet was found to have violated Sections 14.4.10.A of the NASCAR Rule Book, which involves modifications to the rear spoiler. As a result, Big Machine Racing’s No. 48 team have been docked 20 points and five Playoff points. In addition, crew chief Patrick Donahue has been fined $25,000.

    The points penalty impacts Kligerman’s cushion towards making the 2024 Xfinity Series Playoffs. Originally being 36 points above the top-12 cutline in the Playoff standings, Kligerman, who finished 11th at Michigan, is now 16 points above the cutline with five regular-season events remaining on the 2024 schedule.

    The 34-year-old Kligerman from Westport, Connecticut, is currently campaigning in his second full-time Xfinity Series season with Big Machine Racing. Through 21 of 33-scheduled events, Kligerman has recorded two top-five results and nine top-10 results as he strives to make the 2024 Xfinity Playoffs. He did so a year ago, where he ended up in 10th place in the final standings after being eliminated from title contention following the first Playoff round. During the 2023 season, he notched a career-high eight top-five results and 18 top-10 results along with a career-best average-finishing result of 13.2 as a full-time competitor.

    Through 110 Xfinity Series career starts, Kligerman has tallied a total of one pole, 13 top-five results, 47 top-10 results, 107 laps led and an average-finishing result of 14.6 as he continues his pursuit for both his first Xfinity race victory and championship.

    Parker Kligerman’s 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season and pursuit to make the Playoffs continue this upcoming Friday, August 23, at Daytona International Speedway for the Wawa 250, which will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network.

  • Parker Kligerman to make 100th Xfinity career start at Darlington

    Parker Kligerman to make 100th Xfinity career start at Darlington

    In his third full-time season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Parker Kligerman is primed to achieve a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Xfinity event at Darlington Raceway, the driver of the No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet Camaro will make his 100th career start in the Xfinity circuit. 

    A native of Westport, Connecticut, Kligerman made his inaugural presence in the Xfinity Series at Kansas Speedway in October 2009. By then, he was competing on a full-time basis in the ARCA Racing Series for Cunningham Motorsports, where he would achieve nine victories and a runner-up result in the final standings, and was a development competitor for Team Penske. Driving the No. 22 Penske Dodge, Kligerman notched his first career pole position after posting a pole-winning lap at 172.778 mph in 31.254 seconds and would lead the first seven laps before settling in 16th place in the final running order. He returned for the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, where he piloted the No. 42 Team 42 Racing Dodge to a 25th-place finish. 

    In 2010, Kligerman made a total of 12 starts in the Xfinity Series between Team Penske and Team 42, with his first start occurring at Auto Club Speedway in February and finishing 22nd despite failing to qualify for the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. After notching his first career top-10 result at Bristol Motor Speedway in August by finishing ninth, the Connecticut native then notched a season-best eighth-place result at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal during the following event. Ultimately, he recorded a total of six top-15 results between his two part-time rides. He would make a total of four Xfinity starts for Team Penske between 2011 and 2012, where he would notch three top-10 results and finish as high as seventh, which occurred at Chicagoland Speedway in July 2012. 

    In 2013, Kligerman, who had scored his first Craftsman Truck Series victory at Talladega in October 2012 while driving for Red Horse Racing, joined Kyle Busch Motorsports to pilot the No. 77 Toyota Camry on a full-time basis. Commencing the season by finishing fifth at Daytona while dodging a harrowing multi-car wreck on the frontstretch, Kligerman would record a total of three top-five results, 13 top-10 results, 45 laps led and an average-finishing result of 14.1 throughout the 33-race schedule before settling in ninth place in the final standings. By then, he notched a career-best third-place result at Road America in June and a fourth-place finish at Auto Club Speedway in March. At Michigan International Speedway in June, Kligerman led 13 laps and was in the position of achieving his first career victory amid a late pit strategy and gamble before pitting for fuel with 14 laps remaining and ending up in 25th place while two laps down. 

    With Kyle Busch Motorsports ceasing its Xfinity Series program after the 2013 season, Kligerman would move up to the NASCAR Cup Series to compete for Swan Racing and contend for the 2014 Rookie-of-the-Year title. The driver, however, would be released by Swan Racing after the team sold its operations to Xxxtreme Motorsport following the first eight scheduled events. A year later and after he joined NBC Sports Network as an analyst, he made a single Xfinity start for Obaika Racing at Darlington Raceway, where he finished 21st. Another two years later, he competed at Road America for Precision Performance Motorsports, where he finished 10th. 

    In 2022, Kligerman made a total of three starts in the Xfinity Series, with his first start occurring at Circuit of the Americas for Emerling-Gase Motorsports, where he finished 12th. He remained with the team as he competed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, where he ended up 37th after being eliminated in an early incident. His third and final start of the season occurred at Talladega Superspeedway during the Xfinity Series Playoffs, where he piloted the No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet Camaro to a sixth-place finish. 

    In late October 2022, Big Machine Racing announced that Kligerman will be driving the team’s No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro on a full-time basis for the 2023 Xfinity season. He commenced the season with a 23rd-place finish at Daytona after being involved in a final lap wreck amid an overtime shootout. After finishing 10th, 11th and 15th, respectively, during his next three starts, Kligerman was in contention of achieving his first victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway until he got turned approaching the finish line and wrecked, but managing a fourth-place finish. Kligerman and the No. 48 Big Machine Racing team would proceed to notch six top-five results and 12 top-10 results during the remaining 21 regular-season events, with their best result being a runner-up finish at Road America in late July.

    By virtue of the results and the consistency, including a seven-race consecutive streak of top-nine results between July and August and a fourth-place finish during the regular-season finale at Kansas Speedway in September, Kligerman managed to claim the 12th and final berth to the 2023 Xfinity Series Playoffs over Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst.

    Commencing the 2023 Playoffs with a 31st-place result at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kligerman rallied during the following two events at Texas Motor Speedway and at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course by finishing second and sixth, respectively. The results, however, were enough for the Connecticut native to not transfer into the Round of 8 by four points. Nabbing two top-10 results during the final four events on the schedule, Kligerman settled in a career-best 10th place in the final driver’s standings. By then, he had achieved career-high stats in top fives (8), top 10s (18) and an average-finishing result of 13.2 as a full-time competitor. 

    Remaining at Big Machine Racing for the 2024 season, Kligerman has achieved three top-10 results through the first 10 events on the schedule. He is currently ranked in ninth place in the current 2024 driver’s standings and trails the series points lead by 133 points. 

    Through 99 previous starts in the Xfinity Series, Kligerman has achieved one pole, 12 top-five results, 41 top-10 results, 107 laps led and an average-finishing result of 14.9 as he continues his pursuit for both his first Xfinity race victory and championship. 

    Parker Kligerman is scheduled to make his 100th Xfinity Series career start at Darlington Raceway for the Crown Royal Purple Bag Project 200 on Saturday, May 11, with the event’s broadcast time to commence at 1 p.m. ET on FS1.  

  • Kaz Grala to make 100th NASCAR national touring series career start at Daytona

    Kaz Grala to make 100th NASCAR national touring series career start at Daytona

    The 2023 NASCAR season is set to mark a new beginning for Kaz Grala, who will be competing as a full-time Xfinity Series competitor for the first time in his career with Sam Hunt Racing. This season will also mark his eighth season with at least one start across NASCAR’s top three national touring series, in which he is primed to achieve a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s Xfinity Series season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway, Grala will achieve 100 national touring series career starts.

    A native of Boston, Massachusetts, Grala, whose racing career started with go-karts at X1 Boston at the age of four before moving up to Bandoleers, legends cars and stock cars, made his inaugural presence within NASCAR’s top three national touring series at Martinsville Speedway in April 2016, where he campaigned on a part-time basis in the Truck Series for GMS Racing. By then, he was coming off two full-time seasons in the ARCA Menards Series East, where he finished in seventh place in the standings during both seasons. During his Truck debut at Martinsville, Grala started 19th and finished 31st after being involved in an early single-truck incident. He proceeded to make eight additional Truck starts between GMS Racing’s Nos. 24 and 33 entries, where he recorded a total of three top-10 results and a season-best result of seventh place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September. His final start of the season occurred at Phoenix Raceway in November, where he started 11th and finished 28th after being involved in a late incident.

    The 2017 season produced Grala’s first and only full-time campaign to date within NASCAR’s top three national touring series as he was assigned to a full-time driving role of the No. 33 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado in the Truck circuit. He commenced the season on a high note by becoming the youngest competitor to win a pole position and a race at Daytona International Speedway in February at age 18 years, one month and 26 days. The victory occurred after Grala dodged a final lap multi-truck wreck to claim his first NASCAR Truck career victory and claim a guaranteed spot to the 2017 Playoffs. He went on to claim five additional top-10 results throughout the 16-race regular-season stretch, including a runner-up result at Dover Motor Speedway in June and a third-place result at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in September despite getting bumped and spun out of the way for the lead by Austin Cindric on the final lap. At the start of the Playoffs, however, Grala was eliminated from title contention following respective finishes of 10th, fifth and 29th during the Round of 8. Nonetheless, he went on to finish in the top 10 in three of the final four scheduled events before finishing in seventh place in the final drivers’ standings.

    Coming off a strong Truck Series campaign, Grala graduated to the Xfinity Series for the 2018 season as he started the season as the driver of the No. 24 JGL Racing Ford Mustang. Despite commencing the season with a fourth-place run at Daytona in February, the Boston native was left without a ride after JGL ceased his entry following the first 10-scheduled events. A few days later, however, Grala managed to secure a part-time Xfinity ride in the No. 61 Ford Mustang for FURY Race Cars, beginning at a Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Making a total of 12 starts with FURY for the remaining 23-scheduled events, he finished in the top 10 four times, which included a strong fifth-place result at Daytona in July.

    In 2019, Grala made only five national touring series starts, all occurring in the Xfinity Series behind the wheel of the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing. His first start with RCR occurred at Texas Motor Speedway in March, where he finished 18th. He went on to finish 14th during his next three scheduled starts at Richmond Raceway in April, Dover in May and at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July. He then capped off his five-race run with RCR by finishing fifth at Road America in August.

    The 2020 season witnessed Grala competing in a total of seven national touring series events: one in the Cup Series, five in the Xfinity Series and one in the Truck Series. His first start of the season occurred in the Xfinity circuit at Kansas Speedway in July, where he returned for a second part-time stint with RCR and finished 13th. He went on to post his best result of the season at Road America in August, where he finished fourth, followed by back-to-back ninth-place results during a Richmond Raceway doubleheader feature in September. His final Xfinity start of the season occurred at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in October, where he ended up in 31st place due to a suspension issue despite winning the first stage. In August, Grala served as an interim competitor for Austin Dillon in RCR’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE entry in the Cup Series at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in August. The news of Grala substituting for Dillon came after Dillon tested positive for COVID-19 leading up to the event as Grala made his first career start in NASCAR’s premier series. During the event, the Boston native recorded a strong seventh-place result. For the Truck Series, he made his lone start at Talladega in October, where he piloted the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado to a ninth-place result.

    For the 2021 season, Grala competed in a total of three Cup events, two Xfinity events and three Truck events. In the Cup circuit, he competed on a part-time basis for Kaulig Racing that commenced by making his Daytona 500 debut after earning a transfer spot for the main event based on his qualifying speed. During the 500, he led 10 laps before falling back to 28th place in the final running order due to being involved in a late incident. He then went on to post a strong sixth-place finish at Talladega in April and a 35th-place result at Daytona in August after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. In the Xfinity circuit, Grala made a total of two starts for Jordan Anderson Racing, where he finished 18th at Road America and 15th at Texas Motor Speedway, respectively. In the Truck circuit, he made a total of three starts for Young’s Motorsports, all of which occurred on road course venues, as he finished in the top 12 during all his starts. The highlight of his three-race Truck effort occurred during the inaugural event at Circuit of the Americas in May, where he finished second after overtaking Tyler Ankrum in the closing laps.

    This past season, which marked his third consecutive season of making select starts across NASCAR’s top three national touring series, Grala made three starts in the Cup Series, nine in the Xfinity Series and 12 in the Truck Series. His best result in the Truck circuit was a seventh-place result in the series’ inaugural event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in July, with all of his scheduled starts occurring with Young’s Motorsports. In the Xfinity circuit, he competed between Alpha Prime Racing, Big Machine Racing, Jesse Iwuji Motorsports and Sam Hunt Racing, with his best result being fifth at Watkins Glen International in August. In the Cup circuit, Grala teamed up with the newly formed Money Team Racing and embarked on a part-time campaign that commenced in the 64th running of the Daytona 500 in February. After earning a transfer spot for the main event through the first Bluegreen Vacations Duel, he ended up in 26th place in the 500 despite losing his right-front tire on Lap 40. His other two Cup starts were at Circuit of the Americas in March and in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, where he finished 25th and a season-best 23rd, respectively.

    A month after the 2022 NASCAR season concluded, Grala was announced as a full-time competitor of the No. 26 Toyota Supra for Sam Hunt Racing, which he competed for and finished 23rd at Phoenix in November, for the 2023 season as he will contend for the series’ championship for the first time in his career.

    Through 99 previous starts across NASCAR’s top three national touring series, Grala has achieved one victory, one pole, 11 top-five results, 30 top-10 results and 75 laps led while competing for 12 different organizations.

    Grala is scheduled to make his 100th NASCAR national touring series career start in the Xfinity Series season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 18. The event’s coverage is slated to occur at 5 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Reddick joins Big Machine Racing for two-race Xfinity deal

    Reddick joins Big Machine Racing for two-race Xfinity deal

    Big Machine Racing announced that Tyler Reddick will be piloting the team’s No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro for the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series events at Darlington Raceway and at Texas Motor Speedway in the month of May.

    Reddick, a two-time Xfinity Series champion with nine victories who currently competes on a full-time basis in the NASCAR Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing, will be making his return to the series since competing on a part-time basis during the previous season between RSS Racing, Our Motorsports and Jordan Anderson Racing. Campaigning in seven Xfinity events in 2021, his best on-track result was a fifth-place run at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. He initially earned a runner-up result at Homestead-Miami Speedway in February, but the Corning, California, native was disqualified due to his car failing post-race inspection.

    For his first scheduled start with Big Machine Racing this upcoming weekend at Darlington on May 7, Reddick, who last competed as a full-time Xfinity competitor in 2019 when he achieved his second consecutive series title, will be sporting a special gold, red and white scheme that pays homage to NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison and the Coca-Cola Monte Carlo scheme Allison drove to his 1972 Southern 500 victory as part of NASCAR’s throwback theme. Following an off-weekend period, Reddick will return for his second scheduled Xfinity event at Texas Motor Speedway on May 21. The two events will tally Reddick’s career starts in the Xfinity circuit to 93.

    “I’m really excited to get back in an Xfinity Series car and it’s even cooler that I get to do it for Darlington Throwback Weekend,” Reddick said. “I’ve always loved that weekend because it honors our sport’s legends, like Bobby Allison. Big Machine Racing put together a really awesome looking car, and Bobby Allison is not only a NASCAR Hall of Famer but a NASCAR icon. I hope we can get this hot rod in Victory Lane on the 50th anniversary of his Southern 500 win. Thanks to Big Machine Racing’s alliance with Richard Childress Racing, our Chevy will certainly be fast and I’m hoping we can get that No. 48 up front. Thank you so much to Big Machine Racing for letting me get behind the wheel of the car. I’m really looking forward to it and to running other races in the future.”

    Reddick’s addition to Big Machine Racing means that he will become the fourth overall competitor to campaign in at least one event for the team that initially began the season with Jade Buford as their full-time competitor. During the previous two Xfinity events at Talladega Superspeedway and at Dover Motor Speedway, however, Kaz Grala replaced Buford in Big Machine Racing’s No. 48 entry as part of the team’s goal for on-track success.

    “We are honored to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bobby Allison’s 1972 Southern 500 win,” Scott Borchetta, team owner of Big Machine Racing, said. “The design has always been a fan favorite and we’re thrilled to have former Xfinity Series champ Tyler Reddick behind the wheel. The Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers team badly wants this design back in Victory Lane.”

    Additional announcements regarding the remainder of Big Machine Racing’s driver lineup are yet to be determined.

    Reddick is set to pilot the No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet Camaro for the upcoming Xfinity Series event at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, May 7. The event’s coverage is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Grala joins Big Machine Racing for upcoming Xfinity events at Talladega and Dover

    Grala joins Big Machine Racing for upcoming Xfinity events at Talladega and Dover

    Big Machine Racing announced that Kaz Grala will be driving the No. 48 Big Machine SPIKED Coolers Chevrolet Camaro for the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series events at Talladega Superspeedway and at Dover Motor Speedway in late April.

    Grala, a 23-year-old native from Boston, Massachusetts, will be filling in Big Machine Racing’s single-car entry in place of Jade Buford, the team’s lone competitor, as he becomes the third competitor to campaign in a single event for Big Machine Racing, which debuted in NASCAR as a full-time Xfinity team in 2021 before being technically aligned with Richard Childress Racing for this season.

    Currently, Big Machine Racing has achieved two top-10 career results in the Xfinity circuit, which includes a ninth-place results at Michigan International Speedway in August 2021 and an eighth-place result at Circuit of the Americas this past March, both made by Buford.

    “We’ve made a very serious commitment to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, including our strategic partnership with RCR,” Scott Borchetta, team owner of Big Machine Racing, said. “[At] this time we need to evaluate all aspects of the team as I am determined to run up front.”

    The two-race deal with Big Machine Racing adds more seat time for Grala this season, who has made three Xfinity starts for Alpha Prime Racing. He is also campaigning on the part-time basis in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Young’s Motorsports and in the NASCAR Cup Series for the newly-formed Money Team Racing.

    Currently, Grala has made 81 career starts in NASCAR’s top three national touring series (Camping World Truck, Xfinity and Cup). He has achieved a single victory, which occurred during the 2017 Truck Series’ season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway from pole position while he was competing for GMS Racing as he became the youngest competitor to achieve a pole and race victory at Daytona.

    Through 37 previous starts in the Xfinity Series, Grala has achieved four top-five results and nine top-10 results, with his best on-track result being a pair of fourth-place finishes at Daytona in February 2018 and at Road America in August 2020.

    Grala is scheduled to make his first NASCAR Xfinity Series start with Big Machine Racing at Talladega Superspeedway on April 23 with the event’s coverage to occur at 4 p.m. ET on FOX. He will back it up with his second start with the team at Dover Motor Speedway on April 30 with the event’s coverage to occur at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.