Pro Stock points leader Tanner Gray was a bit reluctant to discuss what Autoweek had no problem telling readers in a Sept. 24 online news article: that he will leave the NHRA after this season and move to stock-car racing.

Gray confirmed Friday before qualifying for the AAA Texas Nationals at the Texas Motorplex that he will join the DGR-Crosley team that Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series veteran David Gilliland and Crosley Radio CEO Bo LeMastus own.

“I’ve already said all I need to say,” he prefaced his remarks. But he opened up and said he’s “nervous . . . excited . . . I don’t know . . . It’s bittersweet. I’m going to miss this, but I’m looking forward to it.”

He indicated that he doubted he would return to drag racing but didn’t rule it out completely: “I don’t know. If everything goes to plan, then no. But never say never, right?” Not even from time to time? “Probably not, no.” He guessed that in his new venture “it’ll definitely be busy.”

Not even a championship could entice him to stay, Gray said: “Still no. That will just be a better way to go out, I guess. I don’t know.”

Although the NHRA hasn’t tipped its hand yet about what changes, if any, it has planned for next season. But he indicated that wasn’t the tipping point for him.

“I guess there is a lot of changes happening. I don’t know what,” he said. “I haven’t even looked. I don’t know. I know they’re talking about bringing Mountain Motor [Pro Stock cars] in. They’re just doing what they think is best. I guess you can’t fault them for trying new stuff. I mean, they’re trying to make it better.” Second-guessing the NHRA about possible changes, he said, is “kind of like a Monday-morning-quarterback-type thing. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. But…”

He said that was not was fueled his decision to depart drag racing.

“No. I mean, the main reason is NASCAR has more of a future for younger people,” Gray said. “There’s more racing to do over there, and I think they do a better job with marketing. I think NHRA had an opportunity with me that they never had, and they never really took advantage of it.

“They don’t market this class,” he said. “I was just sitting on my couch last night, watching reruns of the past couple races from St. Louis and everything else, and I mean, you barely see one of these things do a burnout on there. It’s just kind of ridiculous how this class gets treated when at the end of the day, it’s probably the best class out here as far as racing goes and as far as talent goes.”

Gray said, “I think all your talent’s in this class, and really and truly I think as far as talent goes in the fuel classes, there’s very little. You definitely have guys like Shawn [Langdon], Antron [Brown], and guys that have proved themselves to be better than just that. I mean Leah’s [Pritchett is] obviously good. She came from Pro Mod racing. The majority of them, I don’t think, if they got in these things, they wouldn’t be able to drive them. So it’s a shame that this class gets treated the way it does, just because it’s not going 330 miles an hour and blowing up and wrecking every run. But that’s the way they want to do it, so it is what it is.”0