NASCAR Spotter Slams “Afraid” Chase Elliott & Bubba Wallace for Not Being “Amongst the Fans” Like Noah Gragson

When it comes to NASCAR, veteran spotter Brett Griffin has seen it all. Working in the sport for more than 20 years, Griffin has helped drivers like Elliott Sadler, Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer to achieve success in their careers. And while talking on a recent episode of Door Bumper Clear, Griffin shared what differentiates Noah Gragson from his contemporaries.

In the podcast episode, Griffin said that he grew up in an era of the sport when he, along with Elliott Sadler, used to go out in-field and grab a beer with people. Comparing the NASCAR of the 90s with today’s, he pointed out that he is glad to see Noah Gragson follow a similar practice.

He told Gragson that none of his contemporaries were going out in the field as much as him. He said; “You are not afraid to do that. A lot of people are afraid to do that. You are not afraid to get out there, amongst the fans. You don’t care if you are on social media. That’s kind of a rarity these days. I have never seen Chase Elliott out there. You don’t see Bubba Wallace out there.”

Reminiscing about the time he spent with Elliot Sadler, Griffin continued; “Elliott used to put on the darnedest outfits. Like he put on a cowboy hat, he put on those fake buck teeth and he damn wear cut-out Jean shorts and cowboy boots. But out on in-field we go and he’d have fun out there for a couple of hours and we would go back to the bus.” 

Further, he told Gragson why going out amongst the fans was so close to Sadler’s heart. He said; “He was that person, as a 20 year old, he was a fan of the sport and he appreciated the fan base.” Glad to see Gragson do the same, he continued, “There’s not a lot of things I am proud of you about, but I am damn sure proud of you about that. Because you are a man of the people”

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Happy to hear Griffin approving his practice of going in-field, Gragson explained what motivates him to do that. The JR Motorsports driver shared why he likes spending time with fans and enjoys his life as a race car driver in general.

Noah Gragson on being the man of people

As soon as Griffin called Noah Gragson ‘a man of the people,’ he expressed his love to enjoy life. Moreover, he shared that he doesn’t like taking life too seriously and pointed out that this is what sets him apart from his contemporaries like Chase Elliott and Bubba Wallace.

He said; “The way I look at it…I feel some of these guys take it way too serious all the time. I think there is a time and a place to be engaged and turned on. And I think you can also enjoy yourself and enjoy time outside at the race car and have fun.” 

Further, he revealed that he tries to have as much fun as possible. However, once he puts his helmet on it’s time for him to go to work. Talking about his practice, he said that he makes sure to prepare all week. With working out at 7:00 am in the morning, and putting in a whole lot of dedication and preparation, a driver has to do it all.

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Noah Gragson further explained; “So, the way I look at it is there’s nothing to be nervous about on the weekends. It’s like go have fun and enjoy yourself ’cause if this is my last race, this past weekend or next weekend, I wanna have fun and enjoy myself and enjoy the opportunity. Because I don’t think you can take this for granted. 20 years go by so fast, or however long and you take it too serious, you miss it all.”