| Joe Graf Jr. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Graf at a Wawa in 2023 | |||||||
| Born | Joseph A. Graf Jr. July 12, 1998 Mahwah, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 93 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| Car no., team | No. 19 (Joe Gibbs Racing) | ||||||
| 2022 position | 27th | ||||||
| Best finish | 22nd (2020) | ||||||
| First race | 2019 CircuitCity.com 250 (Iowa) | ||||||
| Last race | 2024 United Rentals 300 (Daytona) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Statistics current as of November 1, 2023. | |||||||
Joseph A. Graf Jr.[1] (born July 12, 1998) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing.
At the beginning of his career, Graf drove Bandolero cars at Elko Speedway.[2] He later raced Modifieds at Stafford Speedway.[3]
Graf ran the whole season in 2018 save for the season-opening race at Daytona. The deal originally started out as a six-race schedule,[4] but eventually expanded to 19 races. In his third race at Talladega, Graf raced on a foot he had recently broken and finished second to Zane Smith in the closest finish in series history.[5] At Berlin Raceway in August, Graf spun Chandler Smith on the would-be final lap and then, after losing the lead to Zane Smith on the ensuing restart, pushed Smith up the track in turn four on the final lap to claim his first checkered flag in ARCA competition.[6]
In 2023, Graf would test a car for Emerling-Gase Motorsports at Daytona.[7]
In April 2019, Graf joined Richard Childress Racing's driver development program, which enabled him to run five NASCAR Xfinity Series races for the team starting with Michigan International Speedway's LTi Printing 250. He also became a marketing and communications intern for the team.[8] After failing to qualify at Michigan, he made his series debut in Iowa Speedway's CircuitCity.com 250, where he finished 19th. Graf later said that he hopes to use the schedule as a lead-up to a full-time Xfinity schedule in 2020.[9] At Richmond Raceway in September, Graf blew the tire of John Hunter Nemechek when Graf moved Nemechek, a driver competing in the NASCAR playoffs, on the last lap. In retaliation, Nemechek spun Graf's car, in turn, one after the checkered flag.[10]
On January 16, 2020, SS-Green Light Racing announced Graf would race for the team full-time in the Xfinity Series that year, replacing Gray Gaulding in the team's No. 08 car.[11] He finished 22nd in points with a best finish of 13th on three occasions.[12]
Graf moved to the team's No. 07 in 2021.[12] Prior to the start of the season, Graf hired Buffalo Bills player Antonio Williams as an advisor; the two had befriended each other through a mutual acquaintance.[13] At the conclusion of the Martinsville race, a fight broke out on pit road between Graf and Gray Gaulding after Gaulding wrecked Graf on lap 177.[14] He missed the Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of the Americas due to a strained left knee and was replaced by Ross Chastain; Graf had run the weekend's practice but ranked 40th due to the injury affecting his braking ability.[15]
In 2022, Graf would return to SS-Green Light Racing in the No. 07 and the No. 08. After failing to qualify the No. 08 in the Production Alliance Group 300, he replaced Timmy Hill in RSS Racing's No. 38 and finished 15th.
In 2023, Graf ran a full-time schedule with two different teams: 27 races in the Nos. 28, 38 and No. 39 Ford Mustangs for RSS Racing and six races in the No. 19 Toyota Supra for Joe Gibbs Racing. Graf would finish 7th in the season opener at Daytona in the No. 39. Graf would follow this up with an 11th place finish at Auto Club Speedway and 15th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the No. 19. Graf, while driving in the JGR No. 19 later in the season, finished 9th at Kansas and 10th at Homestead-Miami, respectively.
Raised in Mahwah, New Jersey, Graf attended Don Bosco Preparatory High School and played high school sports for two years before choosing to focus on his driving.[5]
Graf attends New York University.[8]
He is not related to Klaus Graf who is also a racing driver.
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
| ARCA Menards Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | AMSC | Pts | Ref |
| 2018 | Chad Bryant Racing | 77 | Ford | DAY | NSH 16 |
SLM 11 |
TAL 2 |
TOL 3 |
CLT 18 |
POC 7 |
MCH 5 |
MAD 12 |
GTW 8 |
CHI 13 |
IOW 5 |
ELK 3 |
POC 26 |
ISF 16 |
BLN 1 |
DSF 11 |
SLM 11 |
IRP 13 |
KAN 21 |
8th | 4000 | [21] |
| 2019 | DAY 21 |
FIF 11 |
SLM 9 |
TAL 10 |
NSH 6 |
TOL 17 |
CLT 12 |
POC 8 |
MAD 9 |
GTW 11 |
CHI 11 |
ELK 7 |
IOW 9 |
ISF 10 |
DSF 11 |
SLM 6 |
IRP 10 |
KAN 9 |
5th | 4610 | [22] | |||||
| Chevy | MCH 4 |
POC 10 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ARCA Menards Series East results | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | AMSEC | Pts | Ref |
| 2018 | Calabrese Motorsports | 43 | Toyota | NSM 15 |
BRI | LGY | SBO | SBO | MEM | NJM | THO | NHA | IOW | GLN | GTW | NHA | DOV | 51st | 29 | [23] |
| 2019 | Chad Bryant Racing | 22 | Ford | NSM | BRI | SBO | SBO | MEM | NHA | IOW | GLN | BRI 16 |
GTW | NHA | DOV | 44th | 28 | [24] | ||
| 2020 | Visconti Motorsports | 74 | Ford | NSM | TOL | DOV 17 |
TOL | BRI | FIF | 45th | 27 | [25] | ||||||||
* Season still in progress
