CHARLOTTE– Sometimes the harshest lessons are the most beneficial.
Noah Gragson was suspended from NASCAR competition and Legacy Motor Club last August after the Cup Series rookie “liked” a racially insensitive meme.
Sitting on the sidelines is an agonizing reality for any athlete. But when a driver loses the ability to race, it’s almost like losing his or her identity.
For a racer with a personality as big as Gragson’s, the wake-up call was deafening.
“There’s been countless hours put in working on myself—and I continue working on myself to this day,” Gragson said. “But it’s been a good reset. I’m looking forward to the future, moving forward and getting back into a race car.
“Number one, it’s about growing and maturing and just becoming the best driver, leader, but most importantly, the best person I can be.”
After a successful Xfinity Series campaign with JR Motorsports, the 25-year-old struggled behind the wheel of the No. 42 Camaro in what was the first year of a two-car operation for LMC and the team’s final season with Chevrolet. Gragson wrecked five times and finished just once in the top 15 in 21 Cup starts last year.
When he asked to be released from his contract just days after being benched, Gragson was 33rd in the standings. Rather than worrying about on-track performance, the Las Vegas native went to work on himself, both physically and mentally. By the end of August, he had shed 12 pounds.
Since signing with Stewart-Haas Racing to drive the No. 10 Ford, Gragson routinely shows up at the Kannapolis, N.C., shop before dawn. He continues to work with a trainer and sports psychologist.
“Well, I have put in a lot of work,” Gragson said. “It’s been it’s been challenging in a good way. It’s challenged me to become better and grow as a person, as a leader for others, and ultimately, for myself at the core by developing better habits.
“I’ve had time to self-reflect over the past handful of months and to be able to hit that reset button—regroup, grow, mature—become the person I want to be. This time has allowed that for me.”
Gragson joins Josh Berry as one of two new drivers on the Stewart-Haas Racing roster. Berry was selected by veteran crew chief Rodney Childers to succeed 2014 Cup champion Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 Ford. Gragson replaces Aric Almirola, who will run a partial Xfinity Series schedule with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Entering the 2024 Cup season, the average age of the SHR driver stable is now 30, and imbued with youth, Gragson and his teammates hope, at the least, to improve on the organization’s winless 2023 winless campaign. Chase Briscoe, the longest-tenured racer on the Cup side, finished 30th in the standings.
SHR co-owner Tony Stewart has come under fire from fans who expect the three-time champion to be a miracle worker of sorts for the organization. Planning to compete full-time as an NHRA this year, Stewart has more irons in the first than a cowhand at Yellowstone Ranch. Though the three-time Cup champion has invested more time at the SHR shop of late, there’s no overnight solution to transforming a struggling club. If Harvick, a 60-race winner, couldn’t find Victory Lane last year, it’s a tall order to expect excellence from holdovers Briscoe or Ryan Preece.
Stewart has made his expectations clear to the squad: “We’ve got to move the needle.” He can sense a new vibe at the shop since Gragson arrived.
“When we brought Josh (Berry) in, Josh was kind of reserved—mild-tempered and everything,” Stewart said. “Then you bring Noah in, and it was crazy how the energy on the shop floor has changed from Day 1 since he’s been there. When we get all four drivers and crew chiefs in the shop, it’s an energy we’ve never really seen before, because we’ve got four really young guys.
“It wasn’t what I was expecting, but the more I’m around these four guys and watching the way they interact with each other, there’s so much potential there. The way that they intend to work together and share information is very unique. They realize that if it helps one of them it will help all of them.”
As the youngest and least experienced of the four drivers, Gragson has a lot to prove—but so do his teammates.
“It’s a good group of young raw, talented drivers,” Gragson said. “We might not have achieved as much at the Cup level as any of us has hoped to, but we’re working hard to get there. We are a bunch of fiery, young, passionate racers who want to get to Victory Lane. And we’re going to do what it takes to get to Victory Lane.
“It’s a little bit of the changing of the guard at Stewart Haas the last couple of years, but with us four young race car drivers, as long as we work together, I’ve got those guys back, so I know they got my back. We’ll keep on pushing every weekend. If we can be better than we were the weekend before, we’re going to be successful.”
Veteran crew chief Drew Blickensderfer has been tasked with bringing Gragson up to speed. The 47-year-old Decatur, Illinois, native agrees with Stewart about a fresh dynamic at SHR.
“Noah has definitely added energy to the shop,” Blickensderfer said. “He is there every day he’s in town, inviting groups in the shop to lunch and being part of what they are doing. He was spraying paint on parts this week, learning about the paint booth. He makes the shop guys feel good and lights up the room when he walks in.”
Gragson has proven that he’s willing to put in the work. At 19, he finished second in the final CRAFTSMAN Truck Series standings. In 2021 and 2022 combined, Gragson scored 11 of his 13 Xfinity Series victories and advanced to the Championship 4 round each season.
“We think Noah can drive,” Blickensderfer said. “We have to get the cars better for him and help guide him in what it takes to be at the Cup level.
“His pure skill won a lot of Xfinity races. But all of the drivers have skill at this level, so it takes more.”
Gragson has a strong nucleus of support—including new spotter Andy Houston and Blickensderfer. While Blickensderfer admits the expectations are high—qualifying for the Playoffs and winning races—he doesn’t want to extinguish Gragson’s spark in the process. And that’s just fine with his driver.
“It’s good to keep it real,” Gragson said. “I want to be myself at the end of the day. Over the past handful of months, I’ve definitely found a new polish to me. Just appreciate everyone’s support. It is nice to know that they appreciate a little personality, and I try and bring that flare to the racetrack and bring something different.
“We have a great team over there right now—the 10 team. Drew’s a great leader to be able to work with and bounce ideas off of. I told him from the get-go, ‘Let’s leave our feelings at the door. If you need something different from me, or you need to tell me something, you tell me. Keep me accountable because that’s the only way we’re going to be successful.’”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
