Delaney Gray fell in love with racing when she was just eight years old. With a special number she inherited from her dad, she is working towards becoming the first female Bandolero state champion in North Carolina. As the season winds down, that dream seems more and more like reality, and Delaney hopes to inspire other young girls that they can do the same.
Hometown: La Grange, North Carolina
Division: Bandits
Number: 84
Team: Brandon Gray Racing
1. How did you get into racing?
My dad started racing when he was a teenager, so we always watched racing when I was growing up. One day, when I was around eight years old, we were watching a race, and it looked really fun, so I told him that I wanted to try it. We started practicing at this little fifth mile near Raleigh, and it just grew from there.
2. What has been your favorite track to race on?
Dominion Raceway in Virginia or New River All American Speedway in North Carolina. Dominion is just a really fast track, and because of all the plate racing and big track racing that I do, I was able to pick it up pretty quickly. We have done well there, and it is just a really great environment. New River was where I got my first win, and I have made a lot of friends there over the years, so it really is an amazing track to me.
3. How do you get focused before a race?
Before every race I just try and sit down, take a deep breath and focus. I replay all the races where I have been successful and think about what I did in those. I also think about how hard people have worked to get me there and just remember that the Lord has planned the race and He will keep me safe.
4. What has been your favorite racing memory?
My favorite memory so far is probably winning my first race ever, which was at New River All American Speedway down in Jacksonville, North Carolina. I had all my friends and family there supporting me, and I was just so happy that I would win my first race there in front of them. It was just such a special moment.
5. Who is your role model in racing or someone you look up to?
My dad is definitely my role model. He has won a lot of races in his career and has been so helpful to me with everything he has done to support me, both in and out of racing. He has accomplished so much in his life, and I really hope to be like him.
6. What are your ultimate racing goals?
For this season we have been working hard to win the North Carolina Bandolero State Championship. There has never been a female to do that, so we’ve been working throughout this season to try and win that title. For the future though, I would really like to get into the Truck Series one day. I think it is really cool, and it seems like I would like it.
7. Is there a significance to number 84?
That was my dad’s old number on his truck car. He actually had the number 15 on his street stock, but I just thought 84 sounded much cooler, so I really wanted to be that number. It has been very lucky for me so far, and I think part of that is because it was my dad’s, and he won a lot with it.
8. How did you decide on your colors?
Well, my favorite color is pink, and my sister’s favorite color is blue, and I thought the two colors looked nice together. Then I just thought that white and silver and black would look good with those two colors as well, and because we have a white based car and a black one. Our colors have changed over the years though, and the pink and blue were actually a surprise. We used to have bright blue with green and white outlines, but my dad knew I loved the pink and blue colors, and one day he surprised me with it at one of my races.
9. What is the biggest lesson that racing has taught you?
The biggest lesson racing has taught me is how much respect you need to have for other people. You should race them how you want to be raced and help them how you would want to be helped if you were in a situation. You need to learn and gain so much respect for other drivers so that they can gain respect for you too.
10. What was it like interviewing Bubba Wallace?
I got to interview him at the Cook Out Summer Shootout. I was nervous to interview him, but I thought it would be a great opportunity. I didn’t know if he would be willing, but I still wanted to try, and he ended up being very cool and interesting to talk to. I thanked him so much for taking the time to talk to me and it was just so fun to be able to talk to him and hear about his experiences and advice.
11. What do you think the biggest surprise was for you about racing? Was there anything unexpected?
I didn’t expect how much hard work and time we would have to put into the cars. How much time I would have to spend on the simulator and just all of the extra time to get to where we are now. I never would have thought it would be that hard, but it has been a lot of fun getting to learn new things every day. So even though it is hard, I wouldn’t change a thing.
12. Do you have any hobbies outside of racing?
I really like swimming in the pool and hanging out with friends and family. I don’t really have another hobby that sparked my interest like racing did, but I do like being outside, and with my friends and family. And when I’m not racing, I like to be on iRacing with some of my friends who also race, and practicing every day I can.
13. If you could race against any driver, who would it be?
I would try and race against my dad. I think he would help me out a lot and show me a lot of new skills, so I would just be interested to see how well I could do against him.
14. How does it feel knowing you are top 10 in national in points? And currently first in your state?
It’s a really cool feeling. I was so shocked when I heard that we could be the North Carolina State Champion and top 10 in the nation. It never occurred to me that I would be close to good enough to be able to achieve that. My goal at the beginning of the season was to finish in the top 20 in the nation, so the fact that we ae already passed that, and have the opportunity to be state champion is absolutely amazing.
15. If you could interview anyone, who would you want the opportunity to talk to?
I would love to interview Dale Earnhardt Jr. or William Byron. They are my favorite drivers so I think it would be really interesting to get to speak with them and learn from them.
16. Knowing that there aren’t as many female drivers in racing, does that give you extra motivation? What has your experience with that been like?
It does make me a little extra motivated because you want to prove to other little girls out there, who that want to start racing but are afraid to, that girls are just as good as boys, and they can do anything that boys can. I just want to show them that even though somebody might tell you that you can’t, you definitely can.