WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.: Hoisted as one of the most charismatic drivers competing in NASCAR today, Las Vegas’s Noah Gragson was all business Friday afternoon at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International focused on proving his worth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series – while making gains with his JR Motorsports team deep into the summer stretch.
The move from the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series to the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time has been a gradual transition for the NASCAR Next alumnus.
Sure, Gragson had Xfinity success right off the bat in 2018 driving for Joe Gibbs Racing – but aligned with Chevrolet and part of a four-car organization for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick, it’s been an adjustment period for him, but the 21-year-old says his best days are still ahead of him as driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro.
“The biggest thing I learned is to really change my mental approach going into weekends, so just based off my three runs last year with the approach of going to compete for wins and I’ve had to change that approach to we need to maximize the day for what we have. So, whether that means trying to do everything I can on my end – that feels like a victory to me.”
Looking back at practice on Friday, Gragson realized he is getting the max out of his race cars – but realizes there’s a lot more work to do between now and Homestead.
“It was alright,” sounded Gragson. “We really struggled for grip. Seeing the 18 car (Kyle Busch) drive away through the esses, it is frustrating and challenging. All my guys at JR Motorsports are working hard. It’s the only thing I can put it too is a lack of griping is how their stuff is driving. I’m gonna keep a smile on face and keep my head up and do the best job I can do all weekend.
“Myself and Justin (Allgaier) were separated by one-one hundredths of a second there in practice and we’re really close. That tells me we’re getting the max out of our race cars. Overall, I see a lot of comparisons. I thought I had been going crazy on the oval side with the way we just have been this year and the feeling I need.”
Seeing a lot of similarities in his race cars from ovals to the 2.45-mile road course of Watkins Glen, Gragson was breathing a little sigh of relief turning lefts and rights for Saturday afternoon’s Zippo 200.
“This weekend has me a little happier because I feel like I am a pretty strong road course racer and its what I enjoy doing,” Gragson added. “I see a lot of similarities between how we handle on ovals and how we handle on road courses and that tells me we need to keep working.”
As for winning his first Xfinity Series race in the Finger Lakes, Gragson says Kyle Busch appears unbeatable.
“No chance,” offered Gragson on winning the race. “There’s no doubt he’s good.
“We’re all in Kannapolis and he’s up here in Watkins Glen. Everyone has a tremendous respect for Kyle Busch and what he’s able to do. I think road course drivers can only be so good on a road course, equipment is a big part of that.
“I think those guys are too good right now. “I’m not being negative about it, I’m just being kinda realistic. There’s potential to maximize our day and not make mistakes, that’s my focus.”
Earlier this year, Gragson won the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Sonoma, and while opportunities presented itself for him to race in Friday’s K&N East race at The Glen or the upcoming race at Bristol this month, Gragson said his focus needs to be with JR Motorsports and not bouncing between race cars.
“No, I think they drive and handle a lot different,” he said. “Obviously laps are laps but it’s a different style of racing but for me, I think putting my full attention and focus over at JR Motorsports and our Camaros is the best thing right now”
Win or not, Gragson appears in a good place heading into the Playoffs. Sure, Gragson would like to have a win or two under his belt and time is still on side to accomplish that but he said it’s more than just doing your job on the race track.
It’s executing on pit road and on restarts that can prove to be the pivotal point of whether making it to the Championship 4 becomes reality.
“Doing the best, I job I can do,” Gragson spoke. ”Maximizing Being the best on pit road. It takes talent but it takes balls too to be able to run pit road speed to the max potential without speeding. So, fine-tuning, finesse.
“Making sure I get into the pit box as good as I can and setting myself up for the right position on restarts and maximizing restarts once it gets strung out. You kinda got what you got.
“A victory to me is beating my three other teammates. Obviously, you want to win races, but I’m not focused on that right now. I’m focused on being the best JRM car for what we are doing right now.”
“I sat down with my crew chief yesterday and we had a long talk, two hours re-evaluating everything and I told him right now, where we are, we need to go out and maximize what we can do.
“I’ll have more confidence getting there and I’ll know the feel I need to have but you can also be overly overconfident and that’s where I needed to change my mindset this year. Try to focus on the baby steps and do what I can do, make it through the weekend with the best job I’m doing and eventually just hopefully we can point our way to the front.”
But for Gragson, while it’s all about beating the competition on any given weekend, he explained in great detail about the seriousness of beating the mental game and has turned to crew chief Dave Elenz for serious conversations and will even have lunch with team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., next week to get more advice.
“I think it’s been good; I think having those hard conversations where it doesn’t feel very comfortable in the moment, I think there’s a lot of productiveness and positives that come out of that,” explained Gragson on his communication with Elenz. “We just sat down again, and I asked him if we could sit down because I’ve kinda struggled with staying positive throughout the practices and after practice.
“I think looking at the leaderboard it definitely feels like a knife in your back and sooner or later you get tired of that knife and start being negative, so I’ve talked to a lot of people.
“I’ve asked Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) if I could go to lunch with him and talk to him because I know he’s had highs in his career and lows in his career, talked to Josh Wise, he helps me with my training and my mental side, so I’ve talked to a lot of people and I’m going to lunch with Dale next week after this weekend to try and just better myself.
“It’s very easy to be negative when stuff isn’t going the right way, so I’m trying to be a better leader.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
