CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the start of his full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career looms larger and larger in the windshield, Gray Gaulding spent time reflecting on his start in racing on Wednesday during the NASCAR Media Tour at the Charlotte Convention Center.

Gaulding, who will drive for BK Racing in 35 of the 36 races this year, got his start in Bandoleros and Legend cars as a 10-year-old at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2008, immediately finding success with a Winter Heat Series championship and strong performances at the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout Series.

Now, as he prepares to take the final step up the racing ladder into the premier stock car series in North America, Gaulding paid a nod to his time and experiences at the grassroots level and told Race Chaser Online that they “shaped me into who I am today.”

“Man, just like I said when we first met at Charlotte, I’m just lucky to be able to live my dream by doing this,” Gaulding expressed. “To be able to do this (racing) for a living … I never would have thought it would be happening this quickly, but it’s an amazing opportunity that I’ve found here (with BK Racing) … the biggest of my career, for sure.”

“It’s a dream come true, to be completely honest with you. For a guy from Colonial Heights, Virginia … a small town … to have moved to North Carolina with my family and live out everything that I have so far has been amazing. I started racing Legends cars and Bandoleros to cut my teeth on the short tracks, and that was cool just for someone to see me and see what I was doing. I always hoped that a team owner, someone, would see my talent and be willing to work with me … and that’s led into something great and where I am today.”

“It’s pretty cool to know that just a few years ago — not even 10 years ago — I was out there racing Legends cars and just hoping I’d have a chance to race with my heroes, the Jimmie Johnsons, Denny Hamlins and guys like that in the sport. Now that I’m here, I’m going to go out … try to earn my respect and just see what we can do.”

Gaulding made two Cup-level starts last year for Curtis Key and The Motorsports Group, saying that experience will help him this year and also setting modest expectations for his rookie year.

“Having a charter, it really takes a lot of the pressure off of me … as far as having to qualify in,” he said. “But my attitude is really the same — go out there, drive the wheels off it … tell my crew chief what I need … and just focus on learning.”

“I’ve already been trying to set goals for myself. I’d love to see the first five to 10 races … just to see myself and my team gel and get a good chemistry going, and if we could get into the top 25 that would be great. From there, it’s all about working forward and seeing what we can do to maybe break into the top 20. If we could get a top-15 or a top-10, that’d be even greater for us.”

“Realistic goals is what I’m shooting for right now. After the first 10 races, we’ll try to push that bar up and see what we can do. I know I’m a rookie, that I’m here to learn and that I’m going to make mistakes.”

However, Gaulding later circled back to the grin painted on his face — one that hasn’t left since he announced his 2017 plans on Monday at Richmond Int’l Raceway.

“You see this smile? That’s what I’m focused on for the next month,” he laughed. “I know there’ll be a few nerves when I strap in for the first time (at Atlanta), but when I see that green flag? I’m gonna have to pinch myself to make sure it’s real. I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Gaulding’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season will begin on March 5 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Joey Gase will pilot the No. 23 Toyota in the Daytona 500, as Gaulding has not yet received his superspeedway clearance from NASCAR.

About the Writer

Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network.

Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.

The 22-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.

Email Jacob at: [email protected]

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