Noah Gragson was officially reinstated by NASCAR on Tuesday evening. First off, it is a good thing that Gragon was able to complete these requirements for reinstatement and be able to get back in position to find a ride for next season. The opportunity for redemption is a good thing.
However, no one either during the suspension or after the suspension knows exactly what the “Reinstatement process” is. Is it time for NASCAR to be more transparent on what this “reinstatement process” is?
Gragson was suspended on August 5, and he was reinstated on September 13. NASCAR gave absolutely nothing to the general public about what Gragson had to go through for one simple reason: they do not have to.
NASCAR is a privately owned company. As a result, they have no legal requirement to release certain details to the general public. It is part of why NASCAR does not release things such as attendance figures or even their rule book.
NASCAR elected not to disclose the exact terms for reinstatement as was their right. This is not the first time NASCAR has had to handle a case similar to Gragson’s, so did they handle that situation the same way as they handled others?
When NASCAR suspended Kyle Larson for using a racial slur during an iRacing event, NASCAR clearly stated that Larson had to complete sensitivity training to apply for reinstatement. It took Larson almost six months to be reinstated once again.
So, why did NASCAR disclose this for Kyle Larson but not anything for Gragson? Simply put, they did not have to. They can choose to release whatever they want to as a private company, but, should NASCAR be more transparent about this process since it is obviously different depending on the situation?
NASCAR may not necessarily need to release information like this, but many other sports leagues do. The NFL, MLB, and NBA are all privately owned companies just like NASCAR. Yet, these three leagues all release attendance figures and have their rulebooks available to the public.
In the instance of something like Noah Gragson, the public was left in the dark about what he was going through with the reinstatement process. Fans want to know this information because they want to see what efforts NASCAR and the drivers are going through to overcome what it is. They do not need to know every detail, but they gave away that Larson was at least going to sensitivity training.
What made the Larson situation different from the Gragson one? There is definitely a good reason behind it, but the public does not know why because NASCAR did not disclose it.
NASCAR has no legal requirement to disclose things like this, but it would be nice for the fans to understand the process better. It would help them see what things the drivers are doing to help overcome mistakes they have made.
