Bobby Grigas, III didn't take the traditional route to becoming a stock car racer, and has made him stand out. For a driver who doesn't come from a racing background, Bobby has definitely broken the mold. This has made him stand out throughout his career. Bobby didn't start in an entry-level division, and has been moving up the racing ladder lightning fast. Success has been second nature to Grigas ever since he first got behind the wheel. With the ability to adapt to any type of race car he drives, there is no stopping Grigas's raw talent.
After attending Quincy College, Bobby stepped into a powerful Late Model at the legendary Seekonk Speedway in Massachusetts in 2004. In his very first start, Bobby brought his Triple G Scaffolding car home in the Top 10.
Bobby knew that his situation was out of the ordinary.
“Usually, you start with Street Stocks or something, you don't go hop right into a Late Model,” he admitted. “I know that people were kind of nervous about the fact that I had never been behind the wheel of anything, and now all of a sudden I was in a Late Model. I think they felt a little better after that first race.”
By the end of his first season, Bobby had gotten a good handle on the legendary “Cement Palace” and began shifting his attention to an all-out assault on the New England Late Model world.
But first a void needed to be filled in the shop. In the 2004 season-closing Oktoberfest, Bobby was taken out by another competitor and the car was totaled.
During the off-season, the Triple G Racing team built three brand new cars, and dedicated itself to racing three nights a week at three vastly different venues: Thursday nights at Connecticut's lightning-quick 5/8-mile Thompson Speedway, Friday nights at the 1/3-mile Lee USA Speedway on New Hampshire's seacoast, and Saturday nights at Seekonk Speedway. Their efforts would go greatly rewarded.
Bobby opened the 2005 season at Seekonk with a runner-up finish, followed a week later by his first career win. Another victory would bring him to finish fifth in points and allow him to be named as the Most Improved Driver at Seekonk. After making great strides during the summer at Lee USA Speedway, Bobby would earn a feature victory in August and claim the Rookie of the Year title there, finishing eighth in the final standings. And despite missing a handful of events at Thompson, Bobby would earn top rookie honors there as well.
The decision was make a jump to the open-wheel ranks in 2006, and Bobby adapted quicker to a Modified than anyone could have expected. Grigas first found a new home in the new True Value Modified Racing Series. Racing against some of New England's most respected veteran racers, Bobby quickly found success - scoring a victory at Waterford in only his fourth TVMRS start and by beating Ted Christopher in the July, 2006 Open Modified show at Canaan Fair Speedway (NH).
“We're having a lot of fun with these Modifieds,” Bobby said at the time, “We've had a lot of help, but we're learning ourselves, and we're getting pretty good at it.”
Grigas continued his Modified education by racing at tracks throughout New England as in further away places like Florida and North Carolina. In 2007, he stepped up to the ultimate playground of Modified racing - the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
Grigas battled all season for the Modified Tour Rookie of the Year title, but narrowly lost that competition to a much more experienced driver who returned to the Tour after several years and was still ruled to be a rookie.
Grigas has successfully jumped from Late Models (above) to the Modified ranks (below).
Grigas had a standout year on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and in various open Modified and Sunoco Modified shows, in 2008. He finished the season with 20 top 10 and 12 top five finishes. Grigas has already hit the ground running in the
Grigas has sucessfully jumped from Late Models (above) to the Modified ranks (below).
2009 season. He started the year with nine top five finishes at New Smyrna Speedway (FL) in the 43rd Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing
Grigas will spend the remainder of the 2009 season competing on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour and in a schedule of other Modified events as his schedule allows.
