Subdued Noah Gragson Racks Best Season Finish a Month After Bitter Jimmie Johnson Humiliation

Earlier this season, former Legacy Motor Club Cup Series driver Noah Gragson went through a storm of criticism due to his social media antics. The 25-year-old was first indefinitely suspended by NASCAR and later dismissed by his team, which is co-owned by the seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. While he was subsequently re-instated by NASCAR, his team was not intent on keeping him in their driver lineup. But Gragson has made his comeback in one of the lower divisions of NASCAR and he recently made the best season finish since his return.

The Noah Gragson story was one of the biggest of this season. His actions on social media were not taken lightly and he suffered the harshest consequences and still continues to do so. There is little hope that fans will see the 25-year-old in the Cup Series anytime soon. However, Gragson has been keeping himself in touch with racing and he’ll be ready if an opportunity comes calling in the future.

Noah Gragson makes a successful return to NASCAR racing

After the whole social media fiasco sent shockwaves through the world of NASCAR, it was Gragson who put out a statement asking Legacy Motor Club to release him from his contract so that he could work on himself. Whether that was genuine or a PR stunt by the parties involved, we won’t get to know anytime soon but there is no doubt that the whole chapter had a detrimental impact on the 25-year-old.

“I have asked LEGACY MOTOR CLUB to release me from my contract so that I can take time to work through the NASCAR reinstatement process. I love racing, and I am looking forward to a second chance to compete for wins at the highest level of NASCAR – and most importantly, make my family, my team and the fans proud of me once again,” read the statement Gragson had shared on social media at the time.

Now, a month later, Gragson is back on the NASCAR race track. The 25-year-old took part in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series finale at the Delaware Speedway on Sunday and recorded his best finish since his suspension was lifted by the organizing body. Driving the #30 Dodge for APC/John Aarts Group/Kasey Jones Racing, Gragson finished P10 in the event after starting four places below. It was an impressive display by the 25-year-old who will be doing whatever he can to get back into the Cup Series.

The race was won by Treyten Lapcevich, driving the #20 Chevrolet for GSR/FBM/Delta Bingo/RGC after starting in second place. The 19-year-old is the winner of the 2023 NASCAR Pinty’s Series as the Delaware race was the championship race of the season. It was a dominant season for Lapcevich whose nascent motorsport career will surely get a massive boost thanks to his achievement on Sunday.

For Gragson, it was a one-off appearance, and he will hope for a full-time role somewhere next season. He had recently raced in the APC United Late Model Series on Saturday where he expressed his gratitude after finally being back in racing.

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The APC Series season finale was also held at the Delaware Speedway where he finished in eighth place after qualifying at 23rd. Once again, it was a great effort by the 25-year-old who made up 15 places over the course of the event.

After the race, the former Legacy Motor Club man said, “I can’t believe, all you guys, there’s a ton of fans that came out, so thank you guys for all coming out, and, we’re having fun on this John Arch group, APC Late Model. It’s been fun working with Gary and his team. So, raced last week, I didn’t know I was gonna run.”

Despite his performances, there are no solid speculations or rumors about Gragson returning to the Cup Series. In all probability, the 25-year-old will not be a full-time racer in the Cup in 2024. However, this is NASCAR we’re talking about. Anything can happen, so we’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds for Noah Gragson.