Nascar Star Rising Kaz Grala, 18-Years-Old, Is Setting Records While His Stardom Rises
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NASCAR STAR RISING KAZ GRALA, 18-YEARS-OLD, IS SETTING RECORDS WHILE HIS STARDOM RISES STORY AND INTERVIEW BY RON ADAMS 38 Via Corsa Via Corsa 39 motor. A friend of mine that I knew from racing owned a passion come in? go-kart track in Boston. KG: I mean the passion comes in because this is what RA: Tell me about the go-karts. Kaz, what was your I’ve done since I was little, and I’ve tried everything there first memory? is to try and this is just what I love doing. The compe- KG: My first memory was every weekend, every tition of it, the challenge of it, the actual driving of it; it Saturday or most Saturdays at least, driving about 45 doesn’t matter if it’s a stock car, a sports car, a simulated minutes in the car with my dad to the go-kart race, bring- car in a video game, it doesn’t matter to me, it’s all about ing our own go-kart for the first three years. And once driving it and trying to get the most out of it. I turned seven, I used the go-kart that they had, which RA: So at seven-years-old, the go-karting they randomly assigned. continued competitively; what happened next? RA: So, you were go-karting at what age again? KG: I continued go-karting from age seven to nine, KG: Four-years-old. and I won two local championships in the process. It RA: Did you even know what you were doing at was at this one place called F1 Boston. So, I won two that age? championships in that. That was on road courses. There Some people were just born in Poland and my family didn’t have a car, no one in my KG: Well, I did because of my shoes. I wore converse were two different courses at that venue and we would to race. Call it good genes or extended family owned an automobile, and I had never shoes and one of them was duct-taped green and the alternate back and forth between them. natural talent or simply being been to race. All I had done was ride in a taxi cab a few other one was duct-taped red. And I could see my feet of born into the opportunity. What- times and for some reason, all I wanted to do was drive course in a go-kart, so that’s how I initially learned which ever the case may be, there is a race cars. So, no good explanation. was which. But I had that on my shoes and I was sent rising star out there that stands out But in 1973, when I was eight-years-old we came right out to race. among all the rest by the name of here to America specifically because my dad wanted a RA: That’s epic, and the coolest thing I’ve ever heard. Kaz Grala. Grala is still a teenager, car. He was in Poland, his mother moved to America KG: My first race didn’t go too well. At first it was go- fresh out of high school, yet is a sea- during the war and they were sending letters back and ing fine, I was leading the race and coming in to take the soned veteran of several racing series forth. He asked her to send him some money so he could white flag. It was almost over and I pulled into pit lane S that have helped propel him full time buy a motorcycle. She said, “No, why don’t you come to and asked my dad for a juice box. I had no idea what was into the competitive world of NASCAR. America, forget a motorcycle and get yourself a car here, going on out on the track or the fact that I lost the race In fact, as we write this, Grala has finished his one this is the place to be.” So, that’s kind of the whole story, over that. I was just having fun. year run in the NASCAR 2017 Camping World Series in that we came here because of a car, and for my whole life RA: Go-karting started off with a juice box; talk me his GMS Racing Number 33, Chevrolet Silverado Truck, that’s what I wanted to be. through the years as they progressed. and has graduated to drive full time with Ford and the How I got started racing wasn’t until after I went to KG: From age four to six it was more just a fun JGL Racing Organization in the 2018 NASCAR XFINITY college and after I got a job and saved some money. I did thing to do on the weekends. I don’t think I took it that Series. So, it is Via Corsa’s honor to introduce you to Kaz autocross and raced Formula Fords, and I attended the seriously. I think in that age range, I continued to play Grala and his father Darius Grala. Skip Barber Racing School, then raced F-2000’s. soccer and baseball and all that stuff as well, but when I Ron Adams: Let’s start with you, Darius. How did RA: Kaz, when were you born? was seven is when I really got more competitive about it. you begin racing? Kaz Grala: I was born in December 1998. I wanted to actually finish well and try to win champion- Darius Grala: This is all I’ve ever wanted to do as RA: How did Kaz get introduced to racing? ships and that’s when I kind of slowed down on the other far back as I can remember. Since I was only six-years- DG: What started it was we bought him a go-kart sports. old, I wanted to race cars. I mean, I was still a little kid for Christmas. It was a proper CRG racing hallmark 50cc RA: Everyone talks about passion, where does the 40 Via Corsa Via Corsa 41 RA: Then you progressed from go-karts to what? and that was the first laps I ever turned on an asphalt KG: From there was VIR (Virginia International oval. Raceway), they had a motorsports summer camp for kids RA: What happened after that? and it was a one week overnight camp. I wanted to do KG: I started racing and I was teammates with Austin that when I was nine-years-old. My parents told me about in the Bandolero class for two years down in North it, but I had never been to an overnight camp and they Carolina, so that was when the travel started for me and were a little uneasy about sending me down from Massa- missing school. This put me at about 5th grade. I guess I chusetts to Virginia by myself. So, they decided to bring didn’t technically start racing then, but I call it 10-years- me down so they could stay close by while I attended old when I started racing. camp. The camp consisted of different skid pad routines, RA: How old are you now by the way? off-road dune buggy riding, pit stop practice, all sorts of KG: 18. fun. What you could call workshop-like settings, learning RA: Let’s fill the gap between 10 and 18. different aspects of racing. KG: Basically, from there I took more of a standard RA: And after the motorsports camp? path through the stock car world; what you would call KG: Well, during the motorsports camp my parents legend cars, late models. So, legend cars and late models are sitting in the middle of nowhere in Virginia for a week all on short track asphalt ovals. Legend cars are also very and heard that there’s this cool thing called a Summer popular here as well as Scotland, they’re popular all over Shootout happening down in Charlotte. Which is Bandol- the place because they’re cheap, easier to work on. They ero and legend car racing. So, they went and watched this have ridiculous power to weight ratio. My dad drove and Summer Shootout while I was at the camp. raced one a couple of times, actually, and said it was the RA: Summer Shootout in North Carolina? most difficult car he’s ever driven. KG: Yes, and it was on a quarter-mile oval, which RA: So, legends led to what? was where my dad started talking with Tim Cindric, the KG: Late models president of Penske Racing. Tim’s son Austin was racing RA: Go-karts to Bandoleros to late models, then in the Summer Shootout, he was also nine or ten-years- what? old at the time. They began talking and it resulted in me KG: What they call the NASCAR K&N Series, spon- actually testing his (Austin’s) car; a little Bandolero on sored by K&N Air Filters. And then we are into trucks. an oval. Soon after the camp, I was still at the age of nine RA: Your father is talking about some records you’ve set? What are some of those records? having as long a career as I can with that success. KG: I won the two go-kart championships, then I RA: Why NASCAR and not, say, Indy or a Formula won the Bandolero Championship. series? RA: How’d you do on legends; what did you win? KG: For me, NASCAR is the most competitive series KG: I won the Legends Car Championship.