This year, Grala won two out of six Pro Division races and broke his own track record, which he had set last year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina.

 His biggest win (in terms of track size and crowd) came on Aug. 18 at South Boston Speedway in Virginia, and his most challenging win came on July 31 at the Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway. During the Summer Shootout, a multicar accident on the second lap shortened the race to 10 laps.

“He’s winning races,” said R.J. Valentine, an accomplished Grand-Am driver and the owner of F1 Boston, “Most guys maybe get a second or third and maybe every once in a while might have a win. He’s been consistently winning.”

Grala is still four years away from meeting the Sprint Cup Series age minimum, and with five levels to climb before he reaches the series, there is still much work ahead.