Kaz Grala will pilot the Rick Ware Racing No. 15 in 25 Cup Series starts in 2024.
The 25-year-old will be paired with crew chief Billy Plourde alongside previously announced full-time driver Justin Haley in the No. 51.
Grala will begin his tenure with the team at the Busch Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 4. The team has yet to announce the remaining races and that includes the Daytona 500. Grala will return to the seat for the second race of the season at Atlanta.
“Kaz Grala is a talented and tenacious driver who brings a lot to our race team,” said team owner Rick Ware in a statement. “He has an incredible work ethic and leverages every opportunity to its full potential. He’s an asset inside and outside of the car who will help make our program better.”
Grala has been a journeyman driver of sorts, frequently running partial seasons, across every national division. He did compete full-time in the Truck Series back in 2017 and made the playoffs with a victory in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway.
He raced in the Xfinity Series last season, full-time in the No. 26 for Sam Hunt Racing with a 17th place finish in the championship standings with nine top-10s and two top-5s.
Grala has made seven starts at the highest level for Richard Childress Racing, Kaulig Racing and The Money Team Racing respectively. His highest profile result came in 2020 at the Daytona Road Course in a substitute role for the ailing Austin Dillon.
His best finish is a sixth at Talladega in 2021 for Kaulig.
“I’ve found myself as an underdog at each level of NASCAR, and I feel I thrive in that position,” Grala said in a statement. “It’s important to get the most out of the car on restarts and in the closing laps of a race, all while taking care of the equipment, and those are my strengths.
“I also like to be hands-on with the team during the week, involved in what the next step is to advance our program.”
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.