Gray Gaulding had planned on competing in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway, but with 41 cars on the entry list, he was the driver who ultimately failed to qualify.
Gaulding's appearance at Daytona, which came with Carl Long's Garage 66 (MBM Motorsports), was his first in the Cup Series since he competed in the race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway for Rick Ware Racing in June 2023.
In April 2024, Gaulding was arrested for a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, which cast a cloud of uncertainty over his NASCAR future. That arrest resulted in an indefinite suspension from the sport, but at that point, he wasn't actively competing in any of the three national series anyway.
The misdemeanor ended up being dismissed that July, but he did not return to the sport at all that year or even at all in 2025.
Gaulding returned to NASCAR back in April at Bristol Motor Speedway by competing in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race for Mike Harmon Racing; he hadn't competed in that series since running the August 2023 Daytona race for SS-Green Light Racing.
Gray Gaulding back in the NASCAR Cup Series, for real this time
Now the 28-year-old Colonial Heights, Virginia native is officially set to make his Cup Series return as well.
After the DNQ at Daytona in August, Gaulding still hasn't ever driven for Long's team in any NASCAR series. That is set to change on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, as the No. 66 Ford is one of only three non-chartered (open) cars on the entry list for the 267-lap Bank of America 400 around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-mile) Concord, North Carolina oval.
His Charlotte start is set to end a 124-race absence from NASCAR's top series, and it's set to be the 61st Cup start of his career. He has run just one race since 2020, that being the aforementioned Gateway race.
Gaulding's career-high finish is ninth place, which he recorded at Talladega Superspeedway with BK Racing as a 19-year-old in 2017.
Beyond this weekend, Gaulding is also set to compete in the early November race at Martinsville Speedway, again behind the wheel of the No. 66 Ford.
As for Charlotte, the other two open cars on the entry list are the No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet, which is set to be driven by B.J. McLeod for the first time, and the No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota, which is set to be drive by two-time 2026 winner Corey Heim for the 11th time this year.
Sunday's Bank of Americas 400 is set to be shown live on USA Network from Charlotte Motor Speedway beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. Tune in and don't miss Charlotte's first oval playoff race since 2017!
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