Taylor Gray rebounds from flat tire to finish second in playoff race at Talladega

Early in Friday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoff race at Talladega, Taylor Gray was in a world of hurt. 

A flat tire forced Gray to come down pit road for an unscheduled pit stop, and on lap 38, he went a lap down. 

The good news? Right in front of Gray, a crash occurred, bringing out the caution flag and putting Gray's unscathed Toyota Tundra back on the lead lap. 

With a steep uphill climb in front of him, Gray welcomed the challenge, driving back through the field to earn a much-needed second-place finish. 

While Gray only earned two stage points on the afternoon, his resilient effort salvaged plenty of points for the No. 17 team. Gray now sits 13 points below the cut line with two races remaining in the Round of 8 — a number that could've been much higher if not for his impressive performance over the race's final stage. 

"At the end of the day, you can't be too upset," Gray said to Fox Sports. "You're pretty lucky if you can finish second in one of these things. We didn't get the stage points we really needed to go anywhere in points. I got to figure out where I'm living life wrong, I've come so close to winning one of these things and can't do it." 

The runner-up result is Gray's third top-five finish over the last five races, and his first since Milwaukee on Aug. 25. The Truck Series' next race will be at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Gray qualified 12th and finished 13th in 2023. 

The No. 17 team will need a big points day in South Florida to keep their championship hopes alive, but Gray's run on Friday proves that adversity doesn't deter him from his mission.