Surrounded by Rumors of a Cup Series Return, Noah Gragson Prepares to Dazzle at the Snowball Derby

It has been an absolute whirlwind of a season for Legacy Motor Club rookie driver Noah Gragson. The ex-JR Motorsports pride has endured both, the highs and lows of the racing fraternity. However, he is yet to be bogged down by adversities that bar him from fulfilling his ultimate goal of winning the Cup Series championship. Owing to his resoluteness, it is apparent that changes are on the horizon for the driver.

Noah Gragson is on the brink of making a grand comeback to the Cup Series, with the rise in speculations of him shaking hands with Tony Stewart‘s team. However, before these speculations are materialized, Gragson is set to make a dominating appearance in the coveted Snowball Derby. 

Noah Gragson hopes to taste another success in the Derby 

Noah Gragson has been a force in NASCAR’s feeder series, the Xfinity. There he was a championship favorite in the 2022 season. However, he fell short and lost out to Joe Gibbs Racing prodigy Ty Gibbs. Nevertheless, the driver upgraded to the Cup Series with the help of Jimmie Johnson and his team Legacy Motor Club. However, the driver failed to make a breakthrough in the season and finished way back in the driver’s standings in 33rd.

The turning point of Gragson’s rookie Cup Series season was the social media controversy. For this, he was suspended indefinitely from the sport, and Gragson also requested for the termination of his contract with LMC. Nevertheless, since the incident, the driver has undergone a NASCAR-mandated sensitive program and is set to appear at the Snowball Derby in the hunt for his second Tom Dawson trophy. 

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The winner at the 2018 Five Flags Speedway, in his interview with Racing America, expressed his excitement for the upcoming race. He stated, “I think this is my seventh or eighth Derby. It’s such a fun week, but it’s a tough week, too. The track changes so much, so you have to stay on top of it.”

Hoping to conclude the year on a high note Gragson also asserted, “I’ve put a lot of time and effort and preparation in. I’ve already watched last year’s race four times throughout this week, every night. Being able to find different little things. This place feels like a completely different race track every day you get on it, it changes so much. Just trying to be aware, seeing how other guys run this place and learn stuff off them, that’s what I’m paying attention to.

“It’s a race I hope I never miss for years to come. It’s a privilege to be here, but it’s also so much damn fun and I really enjoy coming down here to Five Flags Speedway.”

Noah Gragson divulges the lessons of his suspension from the Cup Series

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Amidst the excitement of participating in the Derby, the speculations of Gragson making his comeback in the Cup Series seem to be echoing through the NASCAR paddock. It is conjectured that the driver could be a potential replacement for Aric Almirola who declared his retirement, in the #10 Ford of the Stewart-Haas Racing team for the 2024 Cup Series season.

Moreover, Gragson has applied for his reinstatement, after completing the sensitivity program laid by NASCAR back in September. Speaking about his suspension to Sportsnaut’s Matt Weaver, the driver divulged, “It’s been uncomfortable at times. There have been some challenges this year but I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. I don’t know that I would change anything that has happened because I have learned from it and it gives me a chance to be a better person.

“In life, you either win or you learn, on and off the racetrack. The wins have been great but you learn through the hardships and defeats. I am grateful to have good people around me and I’m working really hard every day to hopefully get a second chance and to make the most of it.”

Having said that, it will be interesting to see what awaits Gragson, as he is to start from the third position for the race, after a slip-up in the pit lane. Will the driver finally be able to get over the speed bump and taste success remains the question of the hour.

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