Noah Gragson apologizes to Bubba Wallace, No. 23 team after wrecking them out at New Hampshire
Late in the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, Noah Gragson slid up the race track on the wet weather tires and collected a number of drivers. Among them was Bubba Wallace, who was a DNF by the time the cars stopped hitting each other.
Austin Dillon, Austin Cindric, and Erik Jones were all involved in the same wreck. They suffered minor damage compared to what the 23 car went through. This was a racing incident, nothing Noah Gragson inherently did wrong.
His car was on the apron, a popular choice on the wet weather tires. On the replay, it appeared that Gragson got onto the painted line for just a bit too long and his car lost grip.
After the race, Gragson spoke with Dustin Long of NBC Sports about the incident.
“I just lacked grip,” Gragson said. “Super loose all the way around the track. Must’ve hit the paint on entry to [turn] one, and not intentionally by any means with the 23 [Bubba Wallace]. Just a mistake on my part. It was unfortunate and I apologize to the 23 guys for ruining their day. That’s obviously not what we want to do and not what I want to do. It was completely unintentional.”
The caution came out on Lap 266 of 305. The race was originally scheduled for 301 laps, but overtime pushed it a bit further. Noah Gragson has had a solid season with Stewart-Haas Racing. He knows he messed up. I don’t expect Bubba to be upset about this beyond the points consequences. He did let Gragson know about it at the track, though.
Wallace lost the final spot in the playoff picture to Joey Logano. Logano was pinned multiple laps down, but a DNF changed everything. Tough break for the 23 team.
Noah Gragson has had good runs in 2024
While his last top-10 finish was back at Kansas, Noah Gragson has been impressive this season. In the last few weeks, incidents on the track or on pit road have made his finishes look miserable. However, Gragson had top-10 speed at New Hampshire this week for sure.
He was going to have to work his way back into the top-10 before this wreck happened. However, he had raced near the front for a lot of laps. His car was stable. Those wet weather tires and the apron just happened to get him in the end.
Again, his results have not been showing it, but his overall season has been good. It is far better than his year at Legacy Motor Club from a performance standpoint and staying out of trouble off the track.
Five top-10 finishes and a season-best of P3 at Talladega show that Noah Gragson has a future in the Cup Series. I’m not sure where he will land in 2025 when SHR closes this season. But I’d be willing to bet someone will put him in their race car next year.