dia obligations and winner ’ s circle photos and all that , it can be a whirlwind of activity , but I always try to remind myself and the guys to stop and embrace that moment . It ’ s very hard to come by and so fleeting ; you have to physically stop and enjoy it .”
During his long run of qualifying success , which started when Dave Connolly returned to the team as crew chief after a stint driving a Top Fuel dragster , Gray has powered through to the semifinals four times .
“ When you get that close to your goal , it ’ s exciting ,” Gray said . “ But you have to also remember that the other three cars left in the fight are running really well that particular weekend . We ’ ve had two drivers from one team win 13 of the first 14 races , but that streak got busted last weekend in Denver , which gave the rest of us in the chase pack a reason to fight that much harder . Those two have been dominant but they ’ re not unbeatable .”
In six years of racing in the Pro Stock category , Gray has reached 12 final rounds , winning four times . To date , Sonoma Raceway is not on the list of places where he ’ s scored .
“ We ’ d love to win this race , no doubt ,” Gray said . “ It ’ s a great track in one of the prettiest places in the country . It ’ s a long way from home for us Carolina boys but we have won in Pomona and Las Vegas before so maybe the West Coast suits us . We ’ ll just keep doing what we ’ ve been doing . I know things will fall our way soon .”