{"id":3130,"date":"2018-02-18T10:31:45","date_gmt":"2018-02-18T15:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=3130"},"modified":"2018-02-18T10:31:45","modified_gmt":"2018-02-18T15:31:45","slug":"an-interview-with-kaz-grala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2018\/02\/18\/an-interview-with-kaz-grala\/","title":{"rendered":"An Interview with Kaz Grala"},"content":{"rendered":"

This weekend I had a chance to sit down with NASCAR Xfinity<\/strong> driver Kaz Grala<\/strong>. Last season he became the youngest driver ever to win a race at the Daytona International Speedway. Kaz now drives the #24 Ford for the JGL Racing Team<\/strong>. He finished 4th in Saturdays QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway.(Read our Race Report here: https:\/\/lastwordonmotorsport.com\/2018\/02\/17\/tyler-reddick-wins-powershare-qqq-300\/<\/strong><\/a> )<\/p>\n

An Interview with Kaz Grala<\/h1>\n

Q.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>This track probably has some special meaning for you, winning here last season with the Camping World Truck Series. You are undefeated.<\/p>\n

A.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Yeah but I have now been defeated in qualifying but we are gonna try to keep our record intact for the race. We had a really bad qualifying run, starting way back. There\u2019s a lot of laps to do that but we have to come back from 29th. I feel pretty good about the JGL racing Ford and we got a Roush alliance and they\u2019ve helped us out a lot here.<\/p>\n

Q.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>The Penske Ford<\/strong>s looked very good in the Duels<\/strong> Thursday night. Do you think you\u2019ll have plenty of drafting help in your race?<\/p>\n

A.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>I hope so. We really had the car set up for the race as opposed to qualifying so I think we\u2019ll be able to race to the front.<\/p>\n

Q.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Last season you raced in the Truck Series. How different do these cars drive?<\/p>\n

A.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>I actually haven\u2019t done any drafting yet with these cars so I really don\u2019t know. When the race starts it will be my first experience<\/strong> with driving with other cars anywhere near me. It will be a challenge.<\/p>\n

Q.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0As a racer, you get to visit some pretty awesome place, Daytona being one of them. Do you do any neat stuff while you\u2019re here, maybe the beach?<\/p>\n

A.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>I just love the Daytona area in general. I\u2019ve done the Rolex24<\/strong> the last two years. I\u2019ve done the Arca race last year and I\u2019ve done the truck race last year and I\u2019ve even raced in the K&N Series at New Smyrna. So for me the better part of January and February I\u2019ve spent in Daytona so its like my other home. I enjoy it here. It feels like a vacation until you get to the track and than it\u2019s time to get to work. I know the area pretty well. I know the restaurants and I love the beach.<\/p>\n

Q.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>If you weren\u2019t a NASCAR driver what would you see yourself doing?<\/p>\n

A.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Right now I\u2019d probably be in college for engineering which I still plan on doing even with the racing. I\u2019ve had to put that on hold while I\u2019m focusing full time on my NASCAR career. I plan on going to Georgia Tech to study Mechanical Enginerring, that\u2019s where I\u2019m accepted right now. I should be starting in the spring of next year.<\/p>\n

Q.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>You and William Byron could share text books.<\/p>\n

A.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Yeah, he\u2019s got it good doing the online stuff. Georgia Tech doesn\u2019t offer their course online so I plan on actually living down there in a dorm. Before I actually make that decision I have to see how my NASCAR career goes.<\/p>\n

Q.\u00a0\u00a0Jeff Gluck<\/strong> has a series of questions he asks. One of them is he asks what the drivers middle finger policy is. What is yours?<\/p>\n

A.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>I have never been flipped off on the track and I have never flipped anybody off on the track. I have a pretty cool head out there. Cool calm and collected you could say. On the regular highway I\u2019ve been flipped off a couple of times. I make some pretty tight calls there and I\u2019ll be needing to do that later on today.<\/p>\n

Thanks for reading.\u00a0 Listen to WTBQ Radio on Monday and Friday mornings at 8:45 as I join Frank, Taylor and the Morning Show gang to discuss the current happening in NASCAR.\u00a0 1110AM, 93.5FM or online at WTBQ.com.\u00a0 Follow me on twitter @JimLaplante.<\/strong><\/p>\n

MAIN PHOTO:<\/strong>
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>