Kaz Grala had a miserable BMW Endurance Challenge at Daytona Friday afternoon (Jan. 25). He cut a tire early in the race and had a series of additional problems before finishing 30th in class.
The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge will not be Grala’s primary series for 2019, though. He hopes to make a regular home for himself back in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. However, he’ll need sponsorship — and that’s currently a work in progress.
“[Sponsors] are not finalized; they’ll be finalized within the next week or so,” Grala tells Frontstretch. “We are looking and hoping to be full-time in [the Xfinity Series] this year and hopefully, contend for the playoffs. That’s my goal at least, and let’s see if we can get to that point.”
Grala was unclear about how much sponsorship the team already has confirmed, saying that “things are up in the air.” That said, Grala indicated that some of the sponsors that have already been signed are for local markets.
Regardless, Grala said Fury is shooting to run the No. 61 car for the full season.
Last year, Grala made 22 Xfinity starts, 10 of which came for JGL Racing before the No. 24 team closed due to team owner James Whitener’s health issues. The other 12 contests were with Fury.
Grala had two top fives and five top-10 finishes. The second top five (fifth at Daytona International Speedway in July) and four of the top 10s were with Fury.
About the author
Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He's the manager of the site's FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site's Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.
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