15-year old Kaz Grala gets the nod to steer the Ben Kennedy Racing for 2015 on the NASCAR Pro Series East circuit

Westborough's Kaz Grala, 15-years old, is one of the youngest driver to race in NASCAR's Pro Series East driver development Series signed with Ben Kennedy Racing based in Daytona Beach, Fl. Credit: NASCAR Home Track photo)

Westborough’s Kaz Grala, 15-years old, is one of the youngest full time driver to race in NASCAR’s Pro Series East driver development Series. Kaz signed with Ben Kennedy Racing based in Daytona Beach, FL. Credit: NASCAR Home Track photo)

By Lou Modestino

Ben Kennedy Racing announced that 15-year-old Kaz Grala has been signed to pilot the Ben Kennedy Racing entry for the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season.

Grala, a native of Boston, MA, now calling Westborough, MA home, will enter his second full NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season following an impressive rookie campaign in 2014. As the youngest full-time driver, he wrapped up the season seventh in the points standings, with four top-5 and ten top-10 finishes.

Former two-time Nationwide Champion, Norwalk, CT native, Randy Lajoie introduced me to Grela at the Racer’s Expo in Marlborough, MA last February. Randy was at that event displaying his state of the art The Lajoie of Seating. The product was designed by the former NASCAR Nationwide Champion.  LaJoie told me that “Grala is the real deal.”

Grala turned some heads this season in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, where he competed against the best of the best and won. Earlier this month, he had a dominant debut at Martinsville Speedway (VA), winning the heat race by a full straightaway and leading 54 laps of the feature in the biggest late model event of the year.

“Kaz is an extremely talented young driver,” said Team Principal Ben Kennedy. “He is fast in everything he gets in and when you look at his development record, he’s been a winner at every level of competition he has raced. Kaz had a great rookie campaign in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2014, and he was equally impressive in his 17 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series starts. Caraway Speedway is an extremely difficult track, and he was able to become the youngest winner in a NASCAR series event there, it really gives our team a lot to be excited about for next year.”

“Ben Kennedy and Mike Fritts have done a great job making Ben Kennedy Racing a top NASCAR K&N Pro Series East team,” said Kaz Grala. “I couldn’t be more excited for the 2015 season. Being able to look to Ben for advice and with Mike Fritts making the calls on the pit box – I really can’t ask for a better opportunity!”

“I had a chance to see Kaz race 16 times last season,” said Mike Fritts, Crew Chief for Ben Kennedy Racing. “He was really solid to start the season, but the more races he got under his belt the more impressive he became. At Dover, Kaz put a seasons worth of experience to good use and got a career best finish of second. Dover is a track that takes a lot from a driver, both mentally and physically, and it’s impressive to see such a young driver compete at that level on the fastest track we compete on, especially in his first start there. I’m excited to hit the ground running in 2015 with Kaz and the rest of this Ben Kennedy Racing team, I think we are in an excellent position to compete for wins and the championship.”

Ben Kennedy Racing is a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East team based in Daytona Beach, FL, with a focus and dedication to developing the future superstars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It was founded to promote the racing development of Team Principal Ben Kennedy, and continues to operate as a top NASCAR K&N Pro Series development team. Ben Kennedy Racing features 12,000 square feet of race shop, including fabrication, machining, painting and a pull down rig.