Kaz Grala No. 33 NETTTS Chevrolet Silverado Phoenix Recap

Unloading at Phoenix Raceway Friday morning, the No. 33 GMS Racing team got to work tuning Kaz’s NETTTS Chevrolet Silverado after one practice session to start the day. Continuing to improve the handling on the No. 33, Kaz qualified 15th for the Lucas Oil 150 later that night.

 

Firing off loose for the start of Stage One, Kaz raced in the top-15 throughout the entire 40-lap stage, finishing 15th when the green-checkered flag waved. Kaz reported under the stage break that his NETTTS Chevy had begun to get tight during the long green-flag run. With that feedback, crew chief Jerry Baxter called the 18-year-old down pit road for four tires, fuel and both an air pressure and track bar adjustment. Restarting 14th for Stage Two, Kaz maintained his running position throughout the long run, once again fighting a Chevy Silverado that started off loose and swung to the tight side. Ending Stage Two in the 14th position, Baxter once again called Kaz down pit road under the stage break, but this time for two right side tires, fuel and another round of chassis adjustments.

 

Restarting sixth for the final leg of the race, Kaz worked to maneuver his way through traffic to reach the top-five. However, after avoiding multiple accidents in the closing laps, three lengthy red-flag periods slowed Kaz’s long-run momentum. Lining up for a two-lap sprint to the finish, Kaz fought his way to a fifth-place finish, his best NCWTS finish at Phoenix Raceway.

 

Quote
Tonight’s race is a perfect example of what I’ve been saying all year about my No. 33 team. When we unloaded this morning for practice, we weren’t where we needed to be. They worked all day to get my NETTTS Chevy race-ready. Even at the beginning of the race we were still fighting some handling issues, but by the end, we were making our way to the front. The long red flag breaks didn’t help our momentum, but I’ll take a top-five finish after how the day started. I couldn’t be more proud of my team.”

 

Additional Info
– Kaz’s fifth-place finish is his seventh top-10 finish in the last eight races
– After the 22nd race of the season, Kaz is currently seventh in the NCWTS point standings

 

GMS PR