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Shane Gray Set for Thrilling Pro Mod Debut in 2027
Highlights
- Shane Gray returns to NHRA in 2027, debuting in Pro Mod.
- Gray will drive for Elite Motorsports and Modern Racing teams.
- He retired from Pro Stock racing after the 2017 season.
- Tanner and Taylor Gray, Shane’s sons, race in NASCAR series.
- First Pro Mod test scheduled later in 2024 at Rockingham.
- Gray, 54, sees Pro Mod as fitting for his driving style.
Shane Gray will return to NHRA competition in 2027, stepping into Pro Mod with Elite Motorsports and Modern Racing.
The North Carolina driver will race the Elite Motorsports / Modern Racing / Mason Wright Racing entry.
The car debuted with Mason Wright and is currently driven by Aaron Stanfield, providing a proven baseline for Gray.
Elite Motorsports owner Richard Freeman underlines longstanding ties with the Gray family, spanning Competition Eliminator and 2013 Pro Stock engine programs.
The project also reunites Gray with Justin Elkes, now leading Modern Racing and formerly his Pro Stock crew chief; together they won the 2014 U.S. Nationals.
Gray returns after retiring in 2017, targeting a 2027 Pro Mod debut with Elite Motorsports and Modern Racing.
Gray’s Pro Stock résumé includes 13 national final appearances and five wins, with 2013 yielding five finals and one victory.
His last triumph came at the 2017 Gatornationals before stepping aside. Tanner won the 2018 title, while Taylor advanced on NASCAR’s ladder.
With both sons established—Tanner in Trucks with TRICON Garage and Taylor with Joe Gibbs Racing—Gray feels free to compete again.
A first test in a Pro Mod car is planned at Rockingham later this year; seat time exists, but competitive laps do not.
Existing data from Stanfield’s running should accelerate setup work, sharpening Gray’s adaptation to Pro Mod power-adder characteristics.
First Pro Mod test is scheduled for 2024 at Rockingham.
Gray targets the 2027 JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Modified Series, with Elite Motorsports and Modern Racing providing infrastructure and proximity for iterative testing.
Understanding evolving Pro Mod classes and parity measures will be central, given the class’s balance-of-performance and rules enforcement pressures.
Gray views Pro Mod as a strong match for his driving style at 54.
Targets remain pragmatic: build consistency, execute cleanly, and learn. The emphasis is on measured progress rather than immediate results.
Visual Summary
🏆
5 Pro Stock Wins
🚗
Pro Mod Debut 2027
Shane Gray: Past → Future
Comeback Lane: Shane Gray Shifts Gears at 54
After a championship Pro Stock legacy—5 victories, 13 finals, and a 2017 send-off—Shane Gray returns to NHRA in 2027 with a new Pro Mod drive for Elite Motorsports x Modern Racing.
From winning at the Gatornationals to handing the wheel to his sons (NASCAR stars Tanner & Taylor), family and unfinished business call him back.
🚀 “I’m ready for new speed, new challenges!”
Pro Stock → Pro Mod
5 wins
13 finals
13 finals
2017 last win*
2027 debut
NHRA Pro Mod Series
👨👦👦
Racing legacy: Sons Tanner (2018 Pro Stock champ, now NASCAR) & Taylor (NASCAR Joe Gibbs Racing) inspired the next Gray comeback.
Racing legacy: Sons Tanner (2018 Pro Stock champ, now NASCAR) & Taylor (NASCAR Joe Gibbs Racing) inspired the next Gray comeback.
“With both my sons chasing their dreams, it’s my turn to get back in the lane.”
Miles Carter covers grassroots and regional drag-strip action, from bracket racing to street-legal shootouts. His event previews and performance-upgrade guides keep local racers up to speed on timing-slip trends, tire tech, and weekend race highlights.
