Father Time gives Taylor Gray a moment to redeem himself at Martinsville

Taylor Gray had been in this position before: leading a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway on the final lap with Sammy Smith behind him. 

In March, that situation ended with both Gray and Smith spinning around backwards. On Saturday evening, with Smith needing a win to advance to the Xfinity Series Championship 4, it ended with Gray in victory lane and Smith seeing his season come to a close. 

Gray led 52 of 253 laps on Saturday evening en route to his first career Xfinity Series win — a victory that will allow the 20-year-old from Artesia, New Mexico, to take home the coveted grandfather clock awarded to every race winner at Martinsville. 

The win is redemptive for Gray in multiple ways, as in addition to his heartbreaking Xfinity Series loss at the track in March, he was also on the short end of the stick in the Truck Series fall race at Martinsville in 2024. 

Taylor Gray gets his moment in the sun

"I think it's a combination of two things," Gray said of the win in his post-race press conference. "I think it's redemption, and I also think it's a group of things I've learned from the two races I've lost here." 

With Smith and other playoff drivers in Brandon Jones, Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer all breathing down Gray's neck, Gray knew he couldn't afford to slip up and give any of them daylight when they had so much to race for. 

"The biggest thing tonight was not letting anyone into striking distance getting into (turn) 1," Gray said.

Through 32 of 33 races in his rookie Xfinity Series campaign, Gray has seven top-five finishes and 14 top-10 results. 

Connor Zilisch, Justin Allgaier, Carson Kvapil and Jesse Love are the four drivers who will race for the Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 1. 

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media.