The 2024 NASCAR season saw veterans and even active drivers embark on a new adventure of their lives – parenthood. 23XI Racing star Bubba Wallace and his wife Amanda traded race-day intensity for late-night lullabies when they welcomed their first child, Becks Hayden Wallace, in September. “It’s been fun. It’s a nice mental—I wouldn’t call it an escape, but just compartmentalizing things. I’ve been enjoying every step of it.” Wallace said. Meanwhile, NASCAR legend and former team owner Tony Stewart experienced a whole new kind of adrenaline rush in November when he and his wife, Leah Pruett, celebrated the arrival of their son, Dominic James Stewart.

Becoming a father at 52, came at the right time for Stewart as he noted, “I honestly believe at this part of my life, this is the right time for me to be a father. I think 15, 20 years ago being engrossed in motorsports as deep and heavily as I was, I’m not sure that would’ve been the right time for me to be a good father.” Well, the post-season festivities and announcements have continued with the new year.

This time around it’s TRICON Garage driver Tanner Gray and his partner Brittany Cooper who have dropped a heartfelt announcement. “Half of me & half of you — baby Gray coming in August 🤍,” Tanner shared in an Instagram post. The caption was accompanied by pictures of Cooper showing off her baby bump in an eloquent white dress as Gray held her close. The post also had an ultrasound of their baby.

This news comes after the Artesia, New Mexico native recorded a career-best 13th-place finish in the final NASCAR Truck Series point standings last season, built on five top-10 finishes. In November, he announced his plans to continue with TRICON Garage in 2025 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

He started his sixth season as a full-time Truck Series driver behind his familiar No. 15 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro at the Daytona International Speedway on February 14 and finished 22nd. However, there was considerable improvement in his second race of the season when he finished 11th at the Atlanta Motorspeedway in the Fr8 208. Meanwhile, with fatherhood on the horizon, big changes could await Gray, just like it did for Bubba Wallace.

After a steady start to the season from Bubba, his teammate and fellow father Tyler Reddick has seen a change in Wallace’s approach to racing, attributed to his parenthood.

“Fatherhood will change you in ways you don‘t expect,” Reddick said. “I think he‘s got a good approach right now and am excited to see how he continues to grow and change at being a dad and how that affects racing for him. He seems like he‘s in a good place right now.” But it is not only on the track that a change is observed.

In an interview with OutKick, he mentioned that earlier after a bad result on the track he would isolate himself from Amanda and was more worried about his position in the race than anything else. But now, with a child, it is different.

“I was excited to get home. I think every weekend, they’ve only been to the Daytona 500, they haven’t been to these last three. And so, every day I leave, multiple times throughout the day I’m pulling up the baby monitor from halfway across the country, I’m watching him sleep and it brings me joy knowing that we have a beautiful and healthy baby at home that we both can’t get enough of. But it just adds a new perspective on life. It’s nice to be able to take a step back and say ‘If it all ended today, it’s ok because I have a good family, and we’ll be fine,” he said. The same goes for Tony Stewart, who opened up about how fatherhood has changed his perspective in different ways.

“If you have a bad run and you have a chance to go back to the bus for five minutes and he’s awake and you see him smile one time, that bad run doesn’t seem so bad anymore,” Stewart said. It looks like Gray is on the same path where he will learn a lot and see things from a different lens once he holds his baby for the first time.

Well as soon as the Tricon Garage driver shared this life-changing news on social media, the comments section was flooded with heartwarming messages and wishes.

Baby on board: Social media buzzing

The outpouring of support from the world was immediate and overwhelmingly amazing. Fellow drivers and fans alike flooded their comments section with congratulatory messages. “Congrats guys!” exclaimed Legacy Motor Club’s Cup Series driver, John Hunter Nemechek, a sentiment which was also echoed by Front Row Motorsports’ Todd Gilliland, with a short and sweet, “Congrats!!”. One fan also joined the two drivers in congratulating the couple on their announcement, with “Congratulations omg!!! 😭💙💙.”

Tanner Gray’s team, TRICON, also posted a congratulatory message on X, writing, “Baby Gray on the way. Congratulations Tanner!” while sharing a photo from Gray’s IG post.

The reactions from the community weren’t just plain ‘congratulations’ either. They were genuinely excited and shared a feeling of joy and happiness. “Bogie is going to be a cousin! 😍 So precious. August can’t come soon enough!” one fan commented, adding a personal touch to his message for the couple as they celebrate this personal achievement. 

Emphasizing the impact that the announcement is having on the racing world, one fan wrote, “Breakin’ the dang internet!❤ so happy for you guys!” The love that people are showing for the Gray couple is proof that NASCAR and the world are a big happy family, that sometimes might have a fight, just like any family, but at the end of the day, are one big happy family.

“I couldn’t be more excited and happy for you two! Thank you for sharing this beautiful milestone with me. Little man has the best parents! 🥹💙🏎️🏁,” another fan commented showing the amount of love that the couple has from their fans. Although Gray has yet to open his account on the racetrack, he for sure is winning hearts with this heartwarming news.

As the 25-year-old chases his first Truck Series win and prepares himself for a personal milestone, it can be said for sure that fans will be cheering him on.