Shane Gray drives to the Vegas winner's circle, then off into the sunset
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contact: Rob Geiger (832) 971-9345 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Shane Gray drives to the Vegas winner's circle, then off into the sunset ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LAS VEGAS (Oct. 30) - A couple hours after Valvoline/Nova Services driver Shane Gray won the NHRA Toyota Nationals on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he fired up the Chevrolet Camaro and drove it out of the winner's circle and back to the pit area. It was a fitting moment for the veteran Gray, driving off into the sunset, as he is handing over the keys of the Gray Motorsports Pro Stock car to his son, Tanner, for 2017 and beyond. "I've always wanted to drive the car back to the pits," Gray said. "It was a great weekend. I think I've been to nine semis this year and I haven't won since the U.S. Nationals in 2014, so it's a great day. "I've got one more race to run and then my son's getting in the car. I can't think of a better time to win and maybe we can go to Pomona and double-up. Awesome day." Gray has been knocking at the door all season, especially after regrouping with his team and engine program early in the year. His nine semifinal appearances came in the last 15 races, and in the last six races, he's won once and reached four semis. Gray has moved all the way to third in the points standings, behind only KB Racing's Jason Line and Greg Anderson. "I think we have caught up," Gray said. "If you ever think you've figured it out, you're in trouble. I think we have caught up to where (KB Racing was), some days. Some days we haven't and some days they haven't. This stuff is like a roller coaster." Gray qualified No. 4 in Vegas - the sixth consecutive race he's been fourth or better - and dispatched No. 13 qualifier Deric Kramer in the first round. Gray's pass of 6.698 seconds at 205.32 mph was more than enough to outrun Kramer's 6.739-second pass at 203.25 mph. Gray faced No. 5 qualifier Bo Butner in the second round, and the two were within .001 seconds of each other on the Christmas Tree, with Gray's pass of 6.702 seconds at 205.19 mph barely holding off Butner's 6.721-second pass at 205.26 mph. Anderson has seven victories this season, but Gray knocked him out with an .021-second reaction time and pass of 6.717 seconds at 205.22 mph. Anderson trailed all the way with a .057 light and pass of 6.730 seconds at 206.10 mph. Gray faced teammate Drew Skillman in the final - and left first again with an 021 light. Skillman soon slowed with tire shake as Gray sped to his fifth career victory with a run of 6.719 seconds at 204.76 mph. Gray will race in the season-finale in two weeks at Pomona, Calif., before turning the seat over to Tanner. "I'm really looking forward to it," Shane Gray said. "My dad used to tell me, 'You know, it's more gratifying for me to watch you do good than it is for me to do good,' and I always kinda wondered, 'Yeah, right.' But I'm in my mid-40s now and I understand the concept of it now. "There are a lot of cool things in life that you take for granted when you are younger but when you get a little bit of age on you, you appreciate them. I think I'll be just fine." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --30-- Visit GrayMotorsports.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001etN9O2Tro-liCegxW6vkN1KzAGF0sMYWs9wnoZgcn2jtRXFCPAC_Jh0rwHmEmuUgQSUSO7XEWSRFLw15TBR4cUrgoWrxuJlRQuq2wHPIAXEohb-_AH-CpeLa14DIhGo3k9ZsdJPt5rM-_9AsIY8C-Mc0BJS6X2tVFU0tYjFywumUFJWeglncoQ==&c=lC-WUqfaPA8yTjvp0-kO3oxNZHgShuByILDBJLhBdBR_UBjwVtSwfQ==&ch=I4eWNR_V2PeeRE8CK844TUwnN-L2FPzK-sq6OqIa8qaXxRhfY3Y_7w==], Valvoline.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001etN9O2Tro-liCegxW6vkN1KzAGF0sMYWs9wnoZgcn2jtRXFCPAC_JqwldWRb0VRQDBvAFW3mr7HRjIu87weuedetRfssKFR_Mb7GGTeTXhTHdGEQ54H-tLCPf8k9jeIqDXrO4vNc-yYRrpmS1nKo9d87D_f8nv-yp5-ga-94mKo=&c=lC-WUqfaPA8yTjvp0-kO3oxNZHgShuByILDBJLhBdBR_UBjwVtSwfQ==&ch=I4eWNR_V2PeeRE8CK844TUwnN-L2FPzK-sq6OqIa8qaXxRhfY3Y_7w==], NovaMud.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001etN9O2Tro-liCegxW6vkN1KzAGF0sMYWs9wnoZgcn2jtRXFCPAC_JqwldWRb0VRQsqfLeNydlGDDVlsEVSKm2EWtXh7neUTwVNCTGdTuFh9fdOch2aITBZZey9D9DNe3RzPginFZl2jtAc-Ay9SHFjmmt-vGqbkrK0lKbdn_L8o=&c=lC-WUqfaPA8yTjvp0-kO3oxNZHgShuByILDBJLhBdBR_UBjwVtSwfQ==&ch=I4eWNR_V2PeeRE8CK844TUwnN-L2FPzK-sq6OqIa8qaXxRhfY3Y_7w==], and GeigerMediaGlobal.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001etN9O2Tro-liCegxW6vkN1KzAGF0sMYWs9wnoZgcn2jtRXFCPAC_JvUp6rz9FSDGlPPPshha7A6Ikkj6aFaPSCbt2BftTDS-32B16zr4-0p1lweB7pLdA4718ByrijrtKtfcNx8edEn0eR9Y5wYHqRlI-uvg7_pv5Z6yLGykHLcQJqywqJHo1g==&c=lC-WUqfaPA8yTjvp0-kO3oxNZHgShuByILDBJLhBdBR_UBjwVtSwfQ==&ch=I4eWNR_V2PeeRE8CK844TUwnN-L2FPzK-sq6OqIa8qaXxRhfY3Y_7w==] for more info. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forward this email http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=uiezvfkab&m=1110439661844&ea=$submit@theautochannel.com$&a=1126269698896 This email was sent to submit@theautochannel.com by rob@geigermediaglobal.com. 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