Noah Gragson has had a rough 2023. Following an ousting from the Cup Series after a case of social media insensitivity, the JR Motorsports revelation has been on the lookout for redemption. This is where one of the offseason’s most prestigious races, the Snowball Derby, enters. The 2023 Snowball Debry will be his seventh appearance, and having seen the highs and troughs of the competition, he is ready to give his best on Sunday.

Gragson had a remarkable test session at the Five Flags Speedway. However, his pace slowed down in the first practice race, and eventually, he qualified in P3 for the main event. A generator exhaust penalty prevented them from starting the race in the front row. Gragson’s former team owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr, couldn’t let his ex-driver go into the race without some motivation. On the same note, he highlighted one of the failures of his legendary father to boost his confidence.

A week of incredible preparation for Noah Gragson

Despite the minor setbacks in the qualifying and practice sessions, Gragson had great confidence in the car’s potential performance. Starting from the practice races on Wednesday, the vehicle showed unreal pace and handling, which can be termed one of the best in this year’s edition.

“We tested down here really well for two days, but my thoughts on practice was, it felt like every set of tires we bolted on were very inconsistent,” claimed Gragson. “There was a lot of pace difference, lap time-wise, from set-to-set and balance-wise.”

Driving for Rette Jones Racing has been a breath of fresh air for him. In recent news, he has also been linked with the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10 car spot that was opened with Aric Almirola’s departure. The Snowball Derby win could be something to back on for 2024 as he hopes to propulsion to the Cup Series again.

Speaking about his chemistry and ease with the vehicle, the 25-year-old said, “I felt like I knew every corner of the car, and I could feel every little piece of the car like I just felt in tune with it. I feel that way when we tested, and it was a really productive day.”

“We unloaded really close and we made some big gains and I feel like we’re 95 percent of the way there. We ended with two 75 lap runs the second day. I was really happy with the feel of it. I was really happy with the fall off of it and just the balance of the car. It was a really productive test. Both days we learned a lot and we’re chasing that last five percent, Which is the last and the hardest.”

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All in all, Gragson has a lot of competition. The young blood and the veterans of the race have been formidable opponents to drive against. If the signs are anything to go by, last week’s CARS Tour battle between Josh Berry, Kaden Honeycutt, and Brenden Queen was a great display of neck-to-neck and diehard racing. Could that deter his second win at the Five Flags Speedway? Dale Earnhardt Jr believes not.

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s message changed Gragson’s life

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Noah Gragson’s first Snowball Derby win came in 2018. He has had a taste of the Snowball Derby trophy before. However, he has been chasing it since being unable to field a car in the race in 2020. In 2019, he also missed the chance to defend his title due to a family engagement. After a return to the Derby in 2022, he could only finish 20th after missing the race for four seasons. Speaking about the ruthless nature of the competition and its challenges, he claimed, “This race will never owe you anything,”

“I was talking to Mark Bucker (Bubba Pollard crew chief) last night, and we were talking about how I won in 18, missed it in 19 to go to a wedding, and then we missed the race in 2020. That’s humbling.

One of the moments that changed his approach to the race was a small message from his former employer, Dale Earnhardt Jr has always been a mentor to his drivers. To help Noah handle the nerves, he pointed out that his dad, Dale Earnhardt, one of the greatest drivers in the sport, has never won at the Derby. Highlighting the same, the former Legacy Motor Club driver added, “And then, when we won, like I knew the history, and it mean a lot, but it really hit me when Dale Jr texted me and said, ‘my dad has been coming here all his career and never won,’ and that was perspective. It’s still the biggest win of my career.”

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Gragson has won races at the Daytona International Speedway, which hosted the only Daytona 500 win of The Intimidator’s career. Dale Sr won his only Daytona 500 race in 1998 with Larry McReynolds as crew chief. For Noah to disregard his glory at Daytona, the Snowball Derby should mean something more than just a race to him. Having shared a long history with the race, he could use it to his advantage at the main event. Whether Dale Jr’s advice works out or not it remains to be seen with time.