NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The highly successful Gray family will have another member competing in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series next season when Tanner Gray climbs behind the wheel of Gray Motorsports' Valvoline/Nova Services Pro Stock Chevrolet.

Tanner is the teen-age son of Shane Gray, a multi-time winner in the Pro Stock class, and grandson of Johnny Gray, a winner in Funny Car who also raced Pro Stock for many years.

"I've been around it since I was 9 or 10 years old," Tanner Gray said. "I think it's really cool to be able to do what they've done. We'll see if we can win some championships one day.

"I'm pretty excited. I've known about it for a while, and I've gotten to test, so I've kinda calmed down a little bit, but I'm pretty excited for it."

Shane Gray, who has four Pro Stock victories in his career, is stepping out of the driver's seat for his family team for 2017. But he will remain behind the scenes, helping Tanner get up to speed next season.

"I'm not driving next year," Shane Gray said. "I'm going to let him drive the car, and I'll be there to support the team. I'll be there for him and wherever he needs help.

"We're very active in drag racing. He wants to drive the car, and I'm 100 percent cool with that. It's always better for the dad to sit back and watch the kid than do it yourself. It's just time to let him drive."

Tanner Gray recently tested at Rockingham Dragway, driving crew chief Dave Connolly's bracket car before stepping into the Valvoline/Nova Services Chevrolet.

"I think I would've been lost if it wasn't for Dave letting me drive his bracket car, just getting used to the speed and how the car reacts," Tanner Gray said. "But driving his Cobalt helped a lot more and sped up the progression."

Tanner Gray has driven numerous types of race cars for several years. He started in Junior Dragsters but later moved to dirt oval tracks, racing Mini Sprints. He drove Outlaw Karts, 360 Sprint Cars and midgets before moving to Late Model Stock Cars this season. He won an Outlaw Kart race at Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, N.C. two weeks ago.

His father isn't worried about Tanner making the transition to drag racing.

"Tanner's been in a lot of other different cars, too," Shane Gray said. "We put Tanner in a race car when he was 12 years old. He'll be fine. I have 100 percent confidence in him. He's already made some test laps. Tanner will be fine. We put him in the car, showed him how to do it and what he needed to do, and by the end of the day, we had him going down the race track."

Tanner Gray will be gunning for the 2017 Auto Club Road to the Future Award as NHRA's top rookie. He's stepping into one of the top cars of the class, as Shane Gray sits fourth in the Pro Stock points standings with two races remaining in 2016.