Getty Jesse Iwuji posted a career-best finish of 11th at Daytona International Speedway.
Only two drivers have controlled the No. 34 Chevrolet Camaro during the 2022 Xfinity Series season. Now that will change as Jesse Iwuji Motorsports has brought on Kaz Grala for the Roval.
JIM announced the news on September 28. The first-year organization announced that Grala will make his debut with the team on October 8. He will have ERacing Association and Ruedebusch.com as his primary partners for the road course race. This race will mark Grala’s third start at the North Carolina road course.
I’m pumped to announce I’ll be in the No. 34 @ERAcingAssocia1 t.co/8Qe5DQj9pp Chevrolet Camaro SS for @JIMS__Official at the Charlotte Roval race next weekend! Thank you for the opportunity @Jesse_Iwuji and @EmmittSmith22!
Grala has made eight Xfinity Series starts during the 2022 season, split between two teams. He joined Alpha Prime Racing for trips to Auto Club Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Phoenix Raceway.
Grala then joined Big Machine Racing. He has driven the No. 48 at Talladega Superspeedway, Dover Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, and Watkins Glen International. His best performance was a fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen.
Grala Has Achieved Road Course Consistency
The Massachusetts native has made numerous starts across the three national series, and he has turned in some strong performances. This includes a seventh-place finish at the Daytona Road Course while replacing Austin Dillon in 2020.
As an Xfinity Series driver, Grala has made 10 starts at the various road courses. He has posted four top-10 finishes with three top-fives. This run includes two top-five finishes at Road America, both with Richard Childress Racing, in four starts.
Grala will now have another opportunity to turn in a strong performance at another road course on the Xfinity Series schedule. He will take over a stock car that has finished 22nd at two of the road courses, and there will be a possibility that he will surpass this mark based on his past road course success.
Another Driver Has Turned in Strong Performances for JIM
GettyKyle Weatherman races at Watkins Glen International.
With Grala driving the No. 34 at the Roval, he joins a list of drivers that also includes team owner Jesse Iwuji and Kyle Weatherman. These two have shared the stock car while combining for eight top-20 finishes.
Iwuji posted a career-best 11th-place finish at Daytona International Speedway in August after avoiding numerous multi-car incidents. This was a significant improvement over his previous best of 22nd at Road America, which he posted earlier in the 2022 Xfinity Series season.
Weatherman, for comparison, has possession of the team’s lone top-10 finish. He secured this at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. He has also showcased speed at tracks such as Darlington Raceway, Michigan International Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway.
These performances actually caught the attention of a Hall of Fame driver. Dale Earnhardt Jr. voiced some praise for Weatherman during the September 26 edition of “Ask Jr.,” a podcast segment where he answers questions from the fans.
This particular discussion revolved around what Earnhardt would do if he could take any underfunded driver from the Xfinity Series or Truck Series and put them in his fifth JR Motorsports entry. He chose to focus on Weatherman.
“I think what he’s been able to do in Jesse Iwuji’s car is pretty impressive,” Earnhardt said. “And I think he’s got some good pace and speed, and it’d be interesting to see how he might do.”