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Noah Gragson is having a disastrous rookie season so far. Some of it is being on a race team in transition, and some of it is rookie mistakes. These rookie mistakes or just trying to overextend his equipment have caused a lot of his on-track incidents this season. Here is a rundown of all of Gragson’s incidents from a difficult rookie season.
Noah Gragson was on a decent streak with two straight top-20 finishes heading into the first Richmond race, but his season started spiraling downhill after a crash in the final stage. The crash caused Gragson to have his first DNF on the season, and it would not be his last.
Noah Gragson restarted on the front row in overtime at Talladega, but Ross Chastain tried to make it three wide. You can fill in the rest. Gragson was involved in the crash which included the horrific hit Kyle Larson sustained as he was t-boned by Ryan Preece. It was Gragson’s second DNF of the season.
On lap 29 of the rain-delayed Dover race, Gragson spun and hit the inside wall. The incident did not seem to be too severe, but it was enough to damage his car. Eventually, Gragson was pushed behind the wall after time ran out NASCAR’s Damage Vehicle Policy clock.
Noah Gragson has been involved in multiple off-track incidents in his short career, and that continued this year. After the Kansas race, Gragson did not like how he was raced late and elected to confront Ross Chastain. Gragson ended up punching Chastain, and the two had to be separated on pit road.
The week prior, Gragson had his fourth DNF of the season thanks to an engine failure at the Coca-Cola 600. Late in the race at Gateway, Gragson’s brake rotor failed heading into turn one sending his car into the outside wall. Gragson had to miss the next week’s race at Sonoma with concussion-like symptoms.
The Chicago Street Race was a forgettable one for Noah Gragson, as he stuffed his car into the tire barrier at turn six not once, not twice, but three times during the race. It’s safe to say that Gragson was happy to leave turn six behind, but at least his burnouts gave those of us standing in turn six quite a show.
A tire failure in the closing laps at New Hampshire ended the day for Noah Gragson. This made for his sixth DNF of the year, and his third DNF caused by an equipment failure. Another tough chapter in a difficult season.
In the final laps of the Richmond race this past weekend, Daniel Suarez spun off of turn four. The replay showed that it was Noah gragson who spun Suarez out for 30th place for, whatever reason. Despite qualifying 12th, Gragson had a tough day finishing in 28th.
Some of these incidents were Gragson’s fault, while others were the cause of someone else or equipment. Overall, it has been a tough rookie season for Noah Gragson, but things seem to be looking up for next year. Gragson and Legacy Motor Club will move to Toyota next season, and that should improve the performance of that team.
