The race weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is mere days away, but Joe Gibbs Racing is taking care of important business before hopping on the airplane for the trip.
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The team has announced that Taylor Gray has signed a contract extension to remain in the No. 54 for the 2027 season. He will continue to compete in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series while pursuing wins and a championship.
🚨 NEWS 🚨 @Taylor_Gray has signed a contract extension to continue driving the No. 54 Toyota GR Supra in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2027 ✍️ #TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/Qgy6xJyhoe
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) July 21, 2026
Additionally, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that veteran crew chief Jason Ratcliff will continue to lead the No. 54 team. He and Gray have celebrated two wins together in two seasons — one at Martinsville Speedway and one at Kansas Speedway.
Ratcliff has worked with eight drivers in the secondary NASCAR series. He has celebrated 59 wins and one championship. Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell both posted eight-win seasons (2009, 2011, 2019) while working with Ratcliff. Busch also won 13 races in 2010.
"I am super appreciative of everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing for this opportunity," Gray said in a press release. "I feel like Jason (Ratcliff) and I have developed a really strong relationship that goes beyond racing.
"He has been a great mentor to me and helped me a ton both on and off the track. And overall, our team continues to grow and improve, so I'm excited about the rest of this season and next year working together again."
Gray, 21, has steadily risen through the racing ranks while suiting up for multiple teams and manufacturers. He competed in the Late Model ranks, winning multiple times, before taking on the ARCA Menards Series West with David Gilliland Racing.
Gray moved to the ARCA Menards Series and won three races in 2022. He also competed in select Truck Series races. He then moved to the third-tier NASCAR series in 2023 while driving for Tricon Garage.
The New Mexico native competed full-time in 2024 for Tricon Garage and finished sixth in the championship standings. He then moved up to the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2025 and joined Joe Gibbs Racing.
