Shane Gray and crew working hard for successful homecoming weekend

CHARLOTTE – Pro Stock ace Shane Gray grew up in the badlands of New Mexico, working in the hard-scrabble oilfields of his family’s business, Marbob Energy. Drilling wells can be very lucrative, but there are times when all the hard work just doesn’t pay off.

The same could be said of Gray’s latest occupation: driving the Valvoline/Nova Services/IDG Racing Chevrolet Camaro in the cutthroat NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. At times, winning comes easy, but just as often the struggle to win a majority of elimination-round races that are routinely decided by thousandths of a second can be excruciating.

“The way I grew up taught me one thing: When things don’t go your way, roll up your sleeves and work harder,” Gray said. “No one is going to feel sorry for you. If you want to change the situation you’re in, you better bear down and fix it.”

In three starts this year, Gray has logged just one round-win, an unacceptable start by his team’s lofty standards, which has produced four national event wins in 12 final-round appearances in the past. With a nod to his upbringing, Gray and company haven’t complained; instead, they’ve worked double-time to get their 1,400-horsepower machine up to par.

“We’ve burned plenty of midnight oil working on this Chevy, and we’ve run the wheels off of it during the day with several test sessions,” Gray said. “There is no quit in this group. We are very motivated to get this thing running at the top of the charts.

“I love racing but I have no interest in being a sideshow. If we’re not rolling through the gates knowing we have a chance to win, there’s no point in showing up. We certainly feel like we have a great chance this weekend, and I think we’re all very anxious to line up and race.”

This weekend’s seventh annual NHRA Four-Wide Nationals presented by Lowes Foods is a home race for Gray, who hails from nearby Mooresville, N.C. It’s also home for his crew and race shop personnel.

“This is one race for us where we really want to put our best foot forward,” said Gray, a runner-up at the 2014 Four-Wide Nationals. “My wife Amber and our kids Bryce, Tanner, and Taylor will be there, and I know all the guys will be bringing their families out at various times over the weekend, so you really want to have a great showing for all of them.

“We’re also bringing IDG Racing back on board and they have a lot of employees in the area, so we’ll have a strong support system this weekend. It’ll be fun no matter what, but we all know the most fun you can have is when you win.”

Pro Stock qualifying sessions are scheduled for 4:30 and 6:30 p.m., Friday, and 2 and 4 p.m., Saturday. Eliminations begin around 1 p.m., Sunday. FOX Sports 1 will air qualifying action from 10 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, and elimination racing from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Sunday. All times are listed in Eastern time zone.