Kaz Grala, not Jade Buford, will be behind the wheel of the No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet for the next two NASCAR Xfinity Series races — Saturday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and April at Dover (Del.) International Speedway.
By AMANDA VINCENT Source: Auto Racing Daily
“We’ve made a very serious commitment to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, including our strategic partnership with RCR, and at this time we need to evaluate all aspects of the team as I am determined to run up front,” team owner Scott Borchetta said.
Big Machine Racing is in its second season of Xfinity Series competition. Buford has been the driver of the No. 48 for the first eight races of the 2022 season. He has one top-10 finish, an eighth at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and is 22nd in the driver points standings. He has failed to finish three races this season because of crashes.
Grala, from Boston, MA, has experience in all three NASCAR national divisions, including 37 Xfinity Series races. He has four top-fives and nine top-10 Xfinity race finishes. Grala also is a winner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Grala contested three of the first eight Xfinity Series races this season in a car owned by Tommy Joe Martins, resulting in a best finish of 23rd at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.