Gray Motorsports
Shane Gray extends streak of top-half qualifying efforts, this time in Brainerd
BRAINERD, MN – Shane Gray’s impressive streak of top-half qualifying efforts was pushed to 11 straight races 
Saturday at Brainerd International Raceway, returning the driver of the Valvoline/Nova Services Chevrolet Camaro yet again to the favored side of the eliminations ladder of an NHRA national event.
The continued run of strong qualifying performances validates the hiring of crew chief Dave Connolly, who started Gray’s run up the Mello Yello points standings. But Gray says he and Connolly are much more focused on turning on win lights when it matters most: during Sunday’s eliminations.
Punching ticket to NHRA playoffs next item on Shane Gray’s to-do list
BRAINERD, MN – As Pro Stock driver Shane Gray heads to this weekend’s 35th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals 
with his powerful Valvoline/Nova Services Chevrolet Camaro in tow, one word keeps popping into his head.
“I’m so thankful to everyone that supports us and lets us chase this championship,” Gray said. “Certainly my mother and father, Terry and Johnny Gray, they deserve the lion’s share of the credit. They are our main supporters and have always been the ones to push us boys to chase our dreams.
“At the same time we have great sponsors in Valvoline and Nova Services. Then you look across the shop and I see this really dedicated group of professionals that give their all here at home and when we’re on the road to making this car the best it can be. So yeah, thankful is a great word to use when I think about my career and this year.”
Stellar driving nearly puts Pro Stock ace Shane Gray in Seattle semifinals
SEATTLE – Valvoline/Nova Services ace Shane Gray flashed his driving skills over two rounds of the 29th annual 
Protect The Harvest.com NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil on Sunday at Pacific Raceways.
His combined reaction time for both rounds was .033-second, with a .028-second reaction time in the first round and a .005 light in Round 2.
Gray’s driving helped him beat Gray Motorsports engine customer Drew Skillman in the first round, and it nearly sent No. 1 qualifier Vincent Nobile home in the second round.
Shane Gray to face Gray Motorsports engine customer Drew Skillman in round one
SEATTLE – On the one hand, Shane Gray is happy one of his Gray Motorsports engine customers is running numbers close to his own.
On the other hand, running that close puts them together on the speed chart, resulting in Gray having to race Drew Skillman in the first round of the 29th annual Protect The Harvest.com NHRA Northwest Nationals presented by Lucas Oil on Sunday at Pacific Raceways.
“That’s not the ideal situation, of course, but we’ll race each other like we’ll race anyone else,” Gray said. “Drew is a fantastic driver, as he’s proven it in his couple of years in Pro Stock. I’ll have to be up to the job, for sure.
Shane Gray part of small group of challengers to KB Racing’s 2016 dominance
SEATTLE – There’s no denying that the new fuel-injected era of NHRA’s Pro Stock class has been dominated by a 
single team: KB Racing, whose top-two drivers have gobbled 14 of the first 15 trophies this year. But there is a small group of bona fide challengers chipping away at the KB Racing juggernaut, and Valvoline/Nova Services Chevrolet Camaro driver Shane Gray is definitely a part of the chase.
“The switch to EFI and the limitations in rpm and length of the wheelie bars that we all must adhere to this year definitely changed the dynamic of the class,” Gray said. “But the way I look at it is if those guys at KB Racing have figured it out, then the rest of us should be able to as well. There are no excuses in drag racing.
Another semifinal finish for Valvoline/Nova Services driver Shane Gray
SONOMA, CA – Shane Gray has been a semifinal machine with his Valvoline/Nova Services Chevrolet this season.
Gray raced to another semi in the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway before running into eventual race winner Greg Anderson.
Sonoma was Gray’s fifth semifinal appearance of the season, all in the last eight races. Gray skipped the race in Phoenix earlier in the year, but he has surged into the top 10 of the Pro Stock points standings with his recent streak.
“Another good weekend for us, for sure,” Gray said. “We’ve been knocking on the door a lot lately, but it’s time for us to kick it down. I know that if we keep doing what we’ve been doing, we’ll kick that door down. Maybe we can do that in Seattle.”
Shane Gray pumped for race day after extending impressive qualifying streak
SONOMA, CA – For the ninth race in a row and the 11th time this season, soft-spoken Pro Stock driver Shane Gray 
will begin his quest for another NHRA Wally trophy from the favored side of the elimination ladder. This time the title of the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals is at stake, with eliminations taking place live on the main FOX network.
Gray’s current streak of nine top-half qualifying berths have come under the guidance of crew chief Dave Connolly, who took over the Valvoline/Nova Services Chevrolet Camaro in early May at the Atlanta race. Prior to that, Connolly was driving a Top Fuel dragster for the now-defunct Vandergriff Racing operation.
As Sonoma beckons, Shane Gray readies for another trip to the Winner’s Circle
SONOMA, CA – For the last eight NHRA races in a row, Pro Stock driver Shane Gray has wheeled his Valvoline/Nova 
Services Chevrolet Camaro to a top-half qualifying berth, signifying he has a racecar fully capable of winning the race. But so far victory has remained just beyond his grasp, a situation he’d like to correct at this weekend’s Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals.
“We’ve had our chances, and I think we’re showing now, at times, that we can run up front and take on anybody,” Gray said, “but we haven’t been able to punch one through yet. That just proves how tough it is at the top level of the sport. Wins and losses are measure in thousandths of a second and you have to be perfect.
Valvoline/Nova Services pro Shane Gray falls in Denver first round
DENVER – In the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, everything has to work perfectly in order to win a race or 
even a round.
Valvoline/Nova Services pro Shane Gray found that out the hard way in the first round of the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals on Sunday at Bandimere Speedway.
His Gray Motorsports Chevrolet made a solid pass in the first round against Chris McGaha, 6.992 seconds at 198.12 mph. That was the fourth-quickest run of the round, so clearly the car, crew, and engine performed well. But Gray had a misstep behind the wheel and ended up losing on a holeshot.
Shane Gray maintains lofty perch in Denver, qualifies No. 3
DENVER – Shane Gray continues to prove his Valvoline/Nova Services team belongs among the elite in Pro Stock in 
the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, and so does his Gray Motorsports engine group.
Gray qualified No. 3 for the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals on Saturday at Bandimere Speedway, and Alex Laughlin used a Gray Motorsports engine to qualify No. 1 for the first time in his career.
“I’m happy, our customers are happy, and we’re really fast,” Gray said. “Yeah, things are pretty good right now, and we think they can be pretty good tomorrow, too.”
