What’s Happening?

Kaz Grala and Rick Ware Racing announced on Wednesday that Grala will for the team in 2024, starting with the Clash at the LA Coliseum on February 4th. According to Rick Ware Racing’s press release, Grala will compete in 25 races, starting with the LA Clash at the Coliseum. His first points race will be on February 25th at Atlanta.

• Kaz Grala spent 2023 with Sam Hunt Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He will also race for Beard Motorsports at both Daytona and both Talladega races in 2024, bringing his total current Cup Series race count to 29 races.
• Rick Ware Racing has already signed Justin Haley for 2024. He will race full-time for the team, and, now, Grala gives Haley his teammate for the majority of the season.
• Fans are excited about Grala’s move to RWR. This will be Grala’s best opportunity at NASCAR’s top level yet, and he should be interesting to watch in 2024.

The Rumors

Nick DeGroot and Jim Utter said on Motorsport.com on Monday that there is “Discussion” surrounding Grala. They were not the only ones to report Grala to RWR in some capacity. LT of Seriously Fast Motorsports reported back in December that Kaz Grala would be racing full-time for Rick Ware Racing. That report never panned out as Grala later committed to four Cup Series races with Beard Motorsports.

However, a part-time ride for RWR did happen. This team ran an “All-Star Car” in 2023 featuring plenty of different drivers, but, the driver with the most races was J.J. Yeley (26). Yeley told Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut that he will not be returning to RWR for 2024, likely in favor of a full-time Xfinity Series seat.

Why Would Grala and RWR Want to Work With Each Other?

Kaz Grala is an interesting driver. He is still relatively young, at only 25 years old, yet, he has plenty of experience at all levels. He has 138 starts across the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series since 2016.

When given the rare opportunity in top equipment, he has shown flashes. He won his only race in the Truck Series at Daytona in 2017 with GMS. In the Xfinity Series, he made 10 starts with Richard Childress Racing between 2019 and 2020, and he had 2 top-5s and 4 top-10s with an average finish of 13.1. For some perspective, no Xfinity Series driver with that good of an average finish missed the Playoffs in 2019 or 2020.

While he’s not been spectacular, he has been solid. RWR needs someone solid and stable to pilot their car, even if it is not full-time. Now, Grala would not be as flashy as drivers like Jenson Button or Ryan Newman were in 2023, but, it’s still a stable driver for RWR.

How will the partnership of Kaz Grala and RWR do in 2024? They will be interesting to watch.