Saturday night at Goodyear All-American Speedway was an evening filled with celebration for the Gray family.
Delaney Gray, who is the daughter of former driver and current Late Model Stock team owner Brandon Gray, held off the rest of the field in Goodyear’s Bandolero division to pick up her first career victory in motorsports.
The victory came as a bit of surprise for Delaney, but she was thrilled to see all of the hard work put in by Brandon, her mother Jessica and her crew result in bringing home a checkered flag.
“It felt pretty special to get my first career win,” Delaney said. “I’ve gotten a couple of third-place finishes [so far], but I wasn’t expecting to win [on Saturday].”
Like every other driver, the path that Delaney took to get her first career victory required commitment and patience.
Adjusting to a full Bandolero season was just another part of the process for Delaney. Despite dealing with the typical growing pains, Delaney believes she has started to develop a rhythm with her car and wants to build on the momentum from her win at Goodyear.
“I’m getting used to driving [the Bandoleros],” Delaney said. “I’ve become more comfortable with passing cars, holding it all the way and being really smooth on the wheel. My confidence is up knowing that if other girls can do it like me, I can do it as well.”
A key component of Delaney’s early success has been the guidance provided by Brandon.
With the short track industry constantly evolving, Brandon wants to make sure Delaney is put in the best possible position to excel as a driver. For Brandon, that mission involves having his daughter constantly provide feedback on the car and encouraging her to make smart decisions on the track.
“Respect is the main thing I’ve been teaching [to Delaney],” Brandon said. “I want her to work well with others and use the platform the Lord has blessed us with to benefit as many people as we can.”
While Brandon knows that there are still many areas Delaney needs to keep working on, he has been impressed with her work ethic and how she applies the knowledge obtained from the simulator into race day and communicates her needs and preferences to the crew.
Brandon believes Delaney is developing the qualities needed to one day excel at higher levels of motorsports in the country. The goal for him now is to keep working with Delaney so that he and the family can keep celebrating more similar nights like Saturday.
“I’ve won a bunch of races in my life but seeing your kid get their first one is pretty special for sure,” Brandon said. “Confidence is the main thing for Delaney, and she knows that her cars are fast. As long as she still has her confidence, it’s going to help her.”
Brandon added that the next race up for Delaney will be a perfect opportunity for her to showcase her talents, as Goodyear’s Bandolero division will serve as a support class for the upcoming CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour event at the facility on Apr. 23.
Delaney expects the Bandolero feature to be the most prestigious event of her career to date but she plans to lean on Brandon and her crew so that she can deliver a stellar performance in front of a large crowd.
“We’re going to do a lot of work,” Delaney said. “Our goal is to have a great car in the [Bandolero] race and hopefully contend for the win.”
Delaney would like to thank all the crew members with Brandon Gray Racing, Dillon Spain Motorsports and MPM Marketing, along with her sponsors in W.G. Speeks Inc., Bob’s Muffler Shop of Goldsboro, Solid Rock Carriers, Firm360, Carolina Family Pool & Patio and Firehouse Subs.
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McCallister Precision Marketing (MPM) focuses on assisting up-and-coming race car drivers with career advancement and promotion. McCallister Precision Marketing helps drivers build confidence in front of and behind the camera, giving them the tools they need to advance to the next level. The company also provides companies with a strategic plan for their sales, marketing and promotional needs. We believe in building positive relationships with our clients so that we may provide them with the most professional, yet personal guidance they need, in order to achieve their racing goals. Our clients include race car drivers, race team owners, companies and racing series’. We also work closely with charities and charity events. For more information on McCallister Precision Marketing, visit www.MarketWithMPM.com, email TonyaMac44@MarketWithMPM.com or call 803-361-6199.
