Noah Gragson joins Stewart-Haas Racing for 2024 NASCAR Cup ride after suspension
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Noah Gragson, the NASCAR driver who was suspended in August for liking an insensitive meme on Instagram and later parted ways with his then-team, Legacy Motor Club, is getting another chance in the Cup Series.
On Wednesday, Stewart-Haas Racing named him to drive its No. 10 Ford on a full-time basis for the 2024 season.
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“I’m grateful,” Gragson said in an interview Wednesday. “And it’s not just my hard work, too, there has been a lot of people involved. And I appreciate everyone’s support and hard work behind me because it’s not just about me, it’s everybody involved.”
Gragson was suspended on Aug. 5 after screenshots appeared to show that he liked a meme on Instagram making light of the death of George Floyd, who died in police custody in May 2020. Floyd’s death drew widespread outrage after a video circulated online showing former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin holding his knee on Floyd’s neck as Floyd gasped for breath. Chauvin was convicted of murder in April 2021.
Upon the discovery, both LMC and NASCAR took immediate action and suspended Gragson. Five days later, LMC and Gragson announced that they had mutually parted ways.
The 25-year-old Gragson said liking the meme was a “selfish” choice and full of “ignorance.”
“I had a lot of garbage on my feed,” Gragson said. “I was careless when I first got on social media and would accept friend requests from different people. And all of a sudden, you’re friends with people you don’t even know on there, and you’ve just got garbage on your feed. So I’ve become a lot more aware of other people. I was very selfish in the past and only wanted to do things for me.
“Through this whole process, I’ve learned how to acknowledge others. Everyone’s going through stuff. Everyone’s going through their battles. Everyone’s got their challenges in life. And it’s allowed me to just be open-minded to other people.”
As part of NASCAR’s requirement to earn reinstatement, Gragson completed sensitivity training, in addition to diversity and inclusion training with NASCAR’s partners at RISE — a nonprofit focused on improving race relations and promoting social justice in sports. NASCAR reinstated Gragson in mid-September, and he did not enter a NASCAR national series race for the rest of the 2023 season.
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The education process Gragson undertook included multiple visits to civil rights museums, he said, including The International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro, N.C.
“You don’t know what others are going through and, quite frankly, I was uneducated,” he said. “It was a very impactful experience walking through those museums.”
Gragson also spoke to several individuals within the NASCAR industry, including Bubba Wallace (the only active Black driver at the Cup level) and Kyle Larson (who was suspended in 2020 for using a racial slur).
“I told him, man, this is your time right now to reflect, grow up, and know that things can change in a matter of seconds, obviously, so utilize this moment, learn from it, and show up and be better,” Wallace said on Nov. 30 at the NASCAR awards ceremony in Nashville. “I took it as he genuinely wanted to be a better person, and so I hope that’s true. We’ll see.”
Gragson, entering his second year in Cup, is joining an SHR organization that struggled mightily at times during the 2023 season, failing to record a single win amongst its four teams and needing to fill the void created by the offseason departures of veteran drivers Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola, each of whom decided to step away from full-time racing.
Gragson insists SHR is a perfect spot to make his return, especially with the veteran presence the team has in key behind-the-scenes roles including competition director Greg Zipadelli and crew chief Drew Blickensderfer, who will guide Gragson’s No. 10 team.
Gragson said that when he met with SHR owner Tony Stewart and Zipadelli this fall as the team contemplated signing him, he didn’t attempt to pitch them on why they should. Instead, he wanted them to reach that conclusion on their own.
“I didn’t want to sell them,” Gragson said. “I wanted to tell them exactly where I was in life and have them make that decision because the truth gets exposed. Like, you could say all that stuff, but if you’re not doing your part, what’s it matter in five months? So I didn’t want to go sell them. I just wanted to tell them what I’ve been up to, working on, where I’m at and let them make that decision.”
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Said Stewart: “Noah deserves to be in the NASCAR Cup Series and we’re very happy to have him. Noah has performed at every level where he’s competed and has regularly been in championship contention. That’s the kind of driver we need at Stewart-Haas, and that’s why Noah is a part of our team.”
SHR did not disclose Wednesday which companies will sponsor Gragson in 2024.
Gragson understands there will be skepticism that he’s changed in the wake of his suspension. Throughout his career, there have been moments where he’s made mistakes — multiple post-race fights, triggering a wreck at Road America in 2022 — only to profess that he’s learned and will be better going forward.
“It takes actions, and you have to walk the walk,” he said. “I need to prove to them with my actions. I know I can do it and I hope others are aware of it and see it.”
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(Photo: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
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