Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee
Terry started racing in 1974 and drove mostly at Riverside Speedway in West Memphis. He won some local shows, but his biggest win came in 1980 at his home track of Riverside, when he won the World of Outlaws main event.
The years of 1981-82, Terry sidelined his driving to accept the job of mechanic with the Nance Speed Equipment house car. This team, consisting of Terry's brother-in-law, Sammy Swindell, was crowned Champion of the World of Outlaws both of these years.
In 1983, Terry once again returned to driving, and he won 10 main events at Riverside Speedway. The seasons of 1984-1986, Terry raced on the World of Outlaws tour and finished twelfth, tenth and nineth respectively. 1987 found Terry driving for Ron Pack, this team won 14 main events and the I-30 Speedway Championship. During 1987, Terry also drove for Don Berry in California.
1988 through 1991 Terry teamed with Memphis businessman, Paul Miller, to win the 1988 I-30 Speedway Championship, winning 21 events and finishing 2nd in the NCRA (National Championship Racing Association) points race. Terry also won the first of two sprint car main events at the "new" Tulsa Speedway.
The racing season of 1989 Terry won 15 main events, including the United Sprint Association main event at Lawton, Oklahoma and finishing up the season with his first Championship Title in NCRA. In 1990, Terry won 10 main events while winning his second NCRA points title. The season of 1991 found Terry finishing second in the NCRA points battle.
In 1992, Terry began driving for Terry Brown of Carthage, Missouri. This team won five features while finishing the season Terry's third NCRA title. During this year at the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis, Indiana, Terry won the Trophy Dash and finished second in the A-Feature. The 1993 season, and still teamed with Terry Brown, Terry won four A-Features and finished third in NCRA points. He also won the ASCS (American Sprint Car Series) Speedweek Title.
The 1994 season found Terry deciding to run his own race team. This year went remarkably well, he won nine feature events, ran in the top two thirteen times and the top five forty-three times. Terry also won twenty-three of his qualifying heat races and four out eight trophy dashes. Terry ran an average of three to four nights a week, which amounted to seventy-three nights of racing. The 1994 season also brought Terry the biggest payday of his career. ASCS put on a $10,000 to win show in Little Rock, AR, the largest amount that ASCS had ever paid to win. Terry also finished second in the ASCS points without making all of the shows.
After finishing second in points in 1994, Terry felt it would be a great accomplishment to wing the 1995 ASCS Championship Title. With ASCS being a fairly new & uprising series in sprint car racing, they offered a speedweek and regional series within the National Championship series, so that it would be challenging and rewarding to those who couldn't travel to all of the shows.
1995 proved to be a great season for Terry Gray Racing, not only did he acheive his goal to become the 1995 National Champion, he was also the Speedweek Champion. 1996 was to be one of three more ASCS National Champion Titles to follow, along with two more Speedweek Titles. In 1998, Texas Kenworth, out of Dallas, TX called & offered Terry sponsorship for the 1998 season. Terry was more than happy to welcome Texas Kenworth with open arms along with a couple of more sponsors. Because of this great fortune, Terry was able to hire two full time crew members to travel along, after being a one man crew for years, this was a welcome change.
In the 1999 season, in addition to sprint dirt track racing, Terry ventured into sprint pavement racing. Along with other drivers from other dirt track series, Terry finished very well in several events around the south. For the 2000 season, Terry has teamed back up with Terry Brown in Carthage, MO, for what hopes to be a great season of running sprint races not only on dirt tracks with ASCS and NCRA but pavement races.