Second-generation drag racer Shane Gray is trading in his trusty Pontiac GXP this weekend at Bristol Dragway for a brand-new NTB/Service Central Racing 2012 Chevy Camaro at the 15th annual Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals.
The event promises to be nothing short of thrilling as he competes at the picturesque dragstrip nestled in the tree-lined mountains of Tennessee alongside his dad, Funny Car racer Johnny Gray, and his brother, Comp Eliminator driver Jonathan, on Father’s Day weekend.
“What a way to celebrate,” said Gray. “It’s always great when we can be together doing what we love, and having this opportunity just goes back to me being thankful for the fact that I really don’t have much of anything to gripe about. I get to race for NTB and Service Central this weekend in a beautiful brand new Camaro with my family surrounding me, so no matter how I look at it, this is going to be an awesome deal.”
Gray, currently holding down the No. 9 position in the top 10 in the Full Throttle Series Pro Stock standings, traveled to Rockingham Dragway with his Gray Motorsports crew for a two-day test session in the week between the NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown and the upcoming event in Bristol. With each journey down the dragstrip in their new Chevrolet, the team became more and more enthusiastic.
“We had a great test session, and it was exactly what we needed,” said Gray. “The morale of our team has had a nice little boost, and hopefully we’ll be feeling even better at the end of this weekend.”
In addition to racing the NTB/Service Central Camaro, Gray will also be rallying for votes in the last days remaining to campaign for the eighth and final position in the K&N Horsepower Challenge, a special bonus competition for Pro Stock drivers that will take place at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio the weekend following Independence Day. Votes may be cast before 11:59 pm ET on June 17, 2012 online at http://www.nhra.com/knhpchallenge.aspx.
“It would be an honor to race alongside the best drivers in our category for such a prestigious title,” said Gray. “I am very proud of this team and how hard they consistently work, and having the opportunity to really shine in our new NTB/Service Central Chevy Camaro in the K&N Horsepower Challenge would sure be something.”
This story was originally published on June 14, 2012. 
