Noah Gragson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Noah Gragson
Gragson at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2023
Born	Noah Q. Gragson (1998-07-15) July 15, 1998 (age 25) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	130 lb (59 kg)
Achievements	Tied with Sam Ard for the most consecutive race victories in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (4 wins in 2022) 2018 Snowball Derby Winner 2017 Winchester 400 Winner 2015 Idaho 208 Winner
Awards	2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Most Popular Driver 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Most Popular Driver 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Cup Series career
39 races run over 2 years
2023 position	33rd
Best finish	33rd (2023)
First race	2022 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
Last race	2023 Cook Out 400 (Richmond)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 1 0
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
135 races run over 5 years
2022 position	2nd
Best finish	2nd (2022)
First race	2018 ToyotaCare 250 (Richmond)
Last race	2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race (Phoenix)
First win	2020 NASCAR Racing Experience 300 (Daytona)
Last win	2022 Contender Boats 300 (Homestead)
Wins Top tens Poles 13 96 2
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career
47 races run over 3 years
2018 position	2nd
Best finish	2nd (2018)
First race	2016 Lucas Oil 150 (Phoenix)
Last race	2018 Ford EcoBoost 200 (Homestead)
First win	2017 Texas Roadhouse 200 (Martinsville)
Last win	2018 37 Kind Days 250 (Kansas)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 30 9
NASCAR Pinty's Series career
2 races run over 2 years
Car no., team	No. 30 (Kasey Jones Racing)
2023 position	48th
Best finish	35th (2018)
First race	2018 Clarington 200 (CTMP)
Last race	2023 Pinty's Fall Brawl (Delaware)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 2 0
Statistics current as of October 4, 2023.

Noah Q. Gragson (born July 15, 1998) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Canada Series, driving the No. 30 Dodge Challenger for Kasey Jones Racing and earlier in the year drove full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Legacy Motor Club before being suspended midway through the 2023 season. He previously drove full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports from 2019 to 2022, and full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports from 2017 to 2018.

Racing career

Early career

Gragson's ARCA Midwest Tour car at a 2016 Wisconsin International Raceway event

Gragson started racing Bandoleros at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bullring at the age of 13, eventually moving to compete in late models. Gragson also competed in the INEX Legends car racing series, winning the 2014 Young Lion Road Course championship.

Regional series

K&N Pro Series West

Gragson in 2016

In 2015, Gragson joined Jefferson Pitts Racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in the No. 7 with sponsorship from AlertID, his ride being overseen by co-owner Jerry Pitts. In his series debut at Kern County Raceway Park, he finished third after qualifying eighth. At Tucson Speedway, Gragson battled with teammate Gracin Raz to score his first career victory. Later in the season at Meridian Speedway, Gragson recorded his first pole position and led 176 laps to win. In his first season of stock car racing, Gragson finished second in the final points standings behind Chris Eggleston with two wins, seven top fives, 11 top tens, becoming the ninth driver in series history to finish runner-up in points and win Rookie of the Year. After the season ended, he was named Rookie of the Year.

K&N Pro Series East

During the 2015 season, Gragson ran two races in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, finishing eighth in his debut at Watkins Glen International.

2015

In 2015, he joined Mason Mitchell Motorsports in the ARCA Racing Series, driving the No. 78 Ford Fusion at Kentucky Speedway. After qualifying eighth, he finished 14th, one lap behind race winner Ryan Reed.

2016

In 2016 he made 2 starts; one with Mason Mitchell Motorsports driving the No. 78 Chevrolet SS at Pocono finishing 30th and one in the season finale with Venturini Motorsports driving the No. 15 Toyota Camry at Kansas finishing 5th.

2017

2017 ARCA car at Road America

In 2017 he competed in 5 races with Venturini with a best finish of 4th at Chicagoland.

2018

In 2018 he made 2 starts for DGR-Crosley in the No. 54 Toyota Camry at Daytona finishing 7th and Pocono where he scored the pole, dominated much of the early going, and finished 10th.

Camping World Truck Series

2016

Gragson prior to the 2016 Ford EcoBoost 200

In preparation for the 2017 season, he drove the No. 18 Toyota from KBM at the Phoenix International Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway events in an entry fielded by Wauters Motorsports who also fielded Super Late Model’s for Gragson. In his debut at Phoenix, Gragson qualified 14th and finished 16th. Gragson raced at Homestead as well, qualifying 10th and finishing 15th.

2017

Gragson during the 2017 Texas Roadhouse 200

On October 7, 2016, he was hired by Kyle Busch Motorsports to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2017.

In 2017, he recorded his first career Truck win in the fall at Martinsville Speedway in the Texas Roadhouse 200 after passing Matt Crafton for the lead on the outside with 10 laps to go, he finished tenth in points.

2018

Gragson during the 2018 Alpha Energy Solutions 250

He returned to the No. 18 KBM truck for the 2018 season.

A week after wrecking with 2 laps to go while battling with Johnny Sauter for the win at Dover, Gragson dominated at Kansas in the 37 Kind Days 250 leading 128 out of 167 laps to score his 2nd career win.

During qualifying at Pocono Raceway, Gragson fell ill and was not cleared to race. Erik Jones replaced him for the race, but he was granted a playoff waiver and will still contend for the championship.

Gragson finished 2nd in the points standings, after finishing 3rd at Homestead.

Xfinity Series

2018

Gragson in his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in the 2018 ToyotaCare 250

Gragson made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in the No. 18 for Joe Gibbs Racing at Richmond Raceway in 2018 as part of a three-race schedule that included further starts at Talladega Superspeedway and Dover International Speedway.

2019

Gragson at the 2019 CTECH Manufacturing 180

On September 25, 2018, JR Motorsports announced that Gragson would drive the No. 1 Chevrolet full-time for the 2019 Xfinity Series, replacing Elliott Sadler who retired at the end of the 2018 season. However, on January 25, the team announced that Gragson would instead pilot the No. 9 and teammate Michael Annett would drive the No. 1. Gragson opened his rookie campaign with JR Motorsports by finishing 11th in the NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona International Speedway. He scored a ninth-place at Atlanta the next week for his first top-10 of the season and followed it up with his first top-five of the season the next week when he finished third at Las Vegas. Gragson would go on to produce several strong runs during the season including a season-best second-place at Michigan.

Gragson qualified for the Playoffs after the second Las Vegas race on the strength of seven top-fives and 17 top-10s in the regular season. Gragson scored his first DNF of his Xfinity Series career in the 2019 O'Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway when contact on lap 150 with the No. 18 of Harrison Burton sent Gragson's car spinning through the frontstretch grass. Gragson was credited with a 30th-place finish.

2020

Gragson after winning the 2020 NASCAR Racing Experience 300

On February 11, 2020, Gragson announced Bass Pro Shops, Black Rifle Coffee Company, and True Timber would sponsor him as a primary sponsor for three races starting at the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. He went on to win the season-opening NASCAR Racing Experience 300. At the end of the 2020 Alsco 300, he was involved in a fight with Harrison Burton after Gragson pushed him into the wall in the closing laps. Neither driver was reprimanded by NASCAR. Gragson was in position to win a late-season race at Texas Motor Speedway but was passed by Harrison Burton in the final set of corners. He would later finish 5th for the year in points.

2021

Gragson during the 2021 EchoPark 250

On August 27, 2020, Gragson and JR Motorsports confirmed a third season together. At the end of the Atlanta race, he was involved in a fight with Daniel Hemric after a pit road mishap during the race. Neither driver was reprimanded by NASCAR. Hemric would later go on to win the Xfinity Series championship that year. On May 10, Gragson finished fourth at Darlington, but was disqualified when his car failed post-race inspection for unapproved suspension mounts. JR Motorsports filed and won the appeal, restoring Gragson's fourth-place finish and awarding him the US$100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus. He would later win at Darlington and Richmond to make the playoff before scoring a big win in Martinsville to make the Championship for the first time in his career and finishing 3rd in points.

2022

Noah Gragson after winning the 2022 Explore the Pocono Mountains 225

Gragson began the 2022 season with a third-place finish at Daytona. He also scored wins at Phoenix, Talladega and Pocono. At Road America, Gragson had an on-road scuffle with Sage Karam, resulting in him triggering a 13-car pileup on lap 25. He was fined US$35,000 and docked 30 driver and owner points for the incident. At the September Darlington race, Gragson won a three-car battle with Sheldon Creed and Kyle Larson on the closing laps. He also won the next three races at Kansas, Bristol, and Texas, becoming the first driver since Sam Ard in 1983 to win four straight Xfinity Series races. Gragson won his eighth race at Homestead to make his second straight Xfinity Championship 4 appearance. He would end up finishing 2nd in the Championship to Ty Gibbs.

Cup Series

2021

Gragson at Daytona International Speedway in 2021 after wrecking out of the 2nd Bluegreen Vacations Duel

On January 14, 2021, Beard Motorsports announced Gragson would attempt to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the Daytona 500, driving the No. 62 Chevrolet. He was unable to set a qualifying time after failing inspection three times and started the Bluegreen Vacations Duel from the back; a wreck with Garrett Smithley and Brad Keselowski with four laps remaining ended his chances of making the 500.

2022

Gragson at Pocono Raceway during the 2022 M&M's Fan Appreciation 400

Gragson returned to Beard for the 2022 Daytona 500, this time successfully qualifying for the race. Gragson also signed with Kaulig Racing to share the No. 16 Cup car with A. J. Allmendinger and former rival Daniel Hemric.

In his first start in the Daytona 500 he was involved in The Big One late in the race with 10 laps to go while running 7th after getting wrecked by Kevin Harvick. In his 2nd start at Atlanta he would have much of the same luck wrecking hard into the second turn wall on lap 24 while running 17th after his car broke loose in the middle of turns 1 and 2. At the 2022 Coke Zero Sugar 400, Gragson finished a Cup career-best finish of fifth.

Gragson drove the Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 at the Talladega, Charlotte Roval, Las Vegas, Homestead and the Martinsville races as a substitute for Alex Bowman, who sustained a concussion from a crash at Texas.

2023

Gragson at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the 2023 Pennzoil 400

On August 10, 2022, Gragson was announced as the driver for the No. 42 for Petty GMS Motorsports for 2023, replacing Ty Dillon and signing a two-year contract. He started the season with a 24th place finish at the 2023 Daytona 500. At Kansas, Gragson got into a fist fight with Ross Chastain after the two were having a discussion of an on track incident that escalated quickly. At Gateway, Gragson was involved in a hard crash due to a brake rotor failure. His car spun down toward the apron and then back up the track, hitting the wall first with the rear of his car and then the front. Gragson suffered concussion-like symptoms from the crash and was replaced by Grant Enfinger at Sonoma. On August 5, NASCAR and LMC suspended Gragson indefinitely for violation of Section 4.4.D. of the NASCAR Rule Book, which concerns member conduct, after Gragson liked an offensive meme related to the murder of George Floyd on social media. On August 10, 2023, Gragson requested to be released from his contract with LMC so he could focus on the reinstatement process. On September 12, 2023, NASCAR lifted Gragson's suspension and cleared him to resume his racing activity after he completed diversity and inclusion training.

Other racing

Late Model Racing

Gragson after winning at the Las Vegas Bullring in 2016

In 2017, he won the Winchester 400 and in his final ride with KBM, Gragson won the 2018 Snowball Derby after holding off Ty Majeski.

Pinty’s Series

His 2018 racing slate also included starts on the NASCAR Pinty's Series circuit in an effort to make himself a better driver via more seat time. Gragson also started working with a sports psychologist in 2018.

Personal life

Gragson's great-grandfather, Oran K. Gragson, was the longest serving mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, having held the office from 1959 to 1975. Gragson's grandfather and father were both prominent real estate developers in Las Vegas.

Gragson struggled in school due to dyslexia and a learning disability. In seventh grade, he was sent to attend the Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad, California for two years. Gragson attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada for two years. He finished his high school education online at K12. Gragson enjoys downhill mountain biking, and is an avid video game player, saying in an interview that he would perhaps spend Dash 4 Cash winnings on the popular video game Fortnite.

Motorsports career results

Stock car career summary

^† As Gragson was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Cup Series

Daytona 500

Xfinity Series

Camping World Truck Series

^* Season still in progress
¹ Ineligible for series points

K&N Pro Series East

K&N Pro Series West

Pinty's Series

ARCA Racing Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

CARS Super Late Model Tour

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)