Johnny Gray (drag racing)

Johnny Gray (born 1953) is a retired NHRA drag racer and oil company executive. Since 2021, he has been a partner in Team DGR, an American professional stock car racing team that competes in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series, for which his grandsons Tanner and Taylor Gray compete.

Johnny Gray
Born1953
Artesia, New Mexico, U.S.
Retired2013
Related toShane Gray (son)
Tanner Gray (grandson)
Taylor Gray (grandson)
Funny Car
Wins7[1]
Previous series
Competition Eliminator, Pro Stock

Racing career

Drag racing

The elder Gray has been racing in various forms of motorsports for nearly half a century; he began drag racing in the early 1990s, climbing the ladder from the National Hot Rod Association's Competition Eliminator division to Pro Stock and later, the Funny Car category with Don Schumacher Racing. Gray retired in 2013 to support the Pro Stock efforts of his son, Shane, and grandson, Tanner. Tanner went on to win the NHRA Pro Stock title in 2018 before moving on to stock car racing.[2]

NASCAR

In January 2021, Gray partnered with David Gilliland Racing (DGR) to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series and the CARS Late Model Stock Tour with factory support from Ford Performance.[3]

Personal life

Johnny Gray was the son of John R. and Bobby Dawn (née Till) Gray.[4] His father was a self-made oil industry titan in New Mexico and north Texas regions.[5]

Johnny Gray was president of Marbob Energy, the New Mexico oil producer co-founded by his father. Gray and his sister sold the company in 2010 for $1.7 billion in proceeds.[6]

References
  1. "Three Grays, one trophy, and a lot of memories at U.S. Nationals". IndyStar.com. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  2. "Former NHRA Racer Johnny Gray Partners In NASCAR Team". DragZine. 7 January 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  3. "David Gilliland Partners With Johnny Gray To Form David Gilliland Racing". ARCAracing.com. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  4. "Obituary". Legacy.com. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  5. "Hall of Fame Members" (PDF). Petroleum Museum, Midland Texas. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  6. "How drag racing became the sport of millionaires". Fortune.com. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
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