LAS VEGAS, Nev: Las Vegas native Noah Gragson had a quiet Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, but on a late-race restart, the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang driver charged from 13th to sixth and contended for a top-five finish before settling for sixth at the checkered flag.
The top-10 finish was the third of Gragson’s Cup career and the first on a non-superspeedway. Previously, the 13-time NASCAR Xfinity Series winner earned top-10 finishes at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, including a ninth-place result in February’s Daytona 500 – his inaugural race with Stewart-Haas Racing.
Gragson briefly entered the top-five late in the race, battling with Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, and Ty Gibbs, but in the closing laps, Gibbs was able to make a move on Gragson’s No. 10 Ford Mustang Dark Horse to leave Gragson sixth but with his second top-10 finish in three Cup races with the SHR organization in 2024.
“These guys are good,” said Gragson after the race. “It feels good to do it in front of the hometown crowd. I was battling Ty and Ross there at the end for a top-five. I really wanted a top five, but coming from 30th to sixth, I’m just really proud of everyone’s effort.
“This compared to last year just has a lot more speed. You can go where you want. We’ve got a good pit crew and just a good team.”
Sunday’s 267-lap race was the first real test on an intermediate track for the new Ford Mustang Dark Horse model, and based on his experience throughout the three hours, three minute, and 48-second race, Gragson believes the blue oval has showcased speed in all aspects of a race weekend from practice to qualifying and the race.
“This is the first true testament,” explained Gragson. “I don’t know. Blaney was up there and maybe a couple other guys in the Ford camp, but this Mustang Dark Horse is bitchin’. It’s fast, and it’s been really good. You can see the speed that it’s had in qualifying, not for me because I drove like a sissy out there, but with the other guys, they have three poles so far this year, so we’re going good.”
Sunday’s finish was important for Gragson and his No. 10 team for several reasons. Earlier in the week, NASCAR slapped the No. 10 with an L1 penalty after their roof rails did not conform to the NASCAR rule book.
The sanctioning body said per the NASCAR Rule Book, roof air deflectors must consist of parts outlined in Section 14.5.6.1.a. Additionally, they must meet the following criteria: be constructed of 0.05-inch thick aluminum; be installed perpendicular in the applicable slots; must not interfere with the functioning of the roof flaps; and must be painted.
The points penalty put Gragson in the negative. Entering Las Vegas, Gragson sat 43rd in the championship standings with a negative six points.
For Gragson, he realizes that there is still a lot of work to be done, but Las Vegas was a great stepping stone.
“Yeah, we definitely need to be better, and I need to clean some stuff up,” added Gragson. “Really, other than that last restart, I don’t think I had any net gains on restarts, so I need to keep working on that. I’m still trying to figure it all out, but overall, it’s a good stepping stone to where we’re at right now.
“We’re gonna take this and get back into the positives in points and just keep on working, keep on learning and becoming better than we were yesterday and just keep that attitude. I think we’ve got the tightest group in the garage. They’re awesome to work with, and I love every one of them.”
Sunday’s top-10 run will climb himself and his team out of the negative deficit, but more importantly, give his No. 10 SHR team some much-welcomed momentum heading to Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway for next Sunday’s Shriner Children’s Hospital 500.
Exiting Las Vegas, Gragson sits 34th in the championship standings, 93 points in the arrears to Las Vegas winner Kyle Larson.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01 or email at [email protected].
