Noah Gragson and the entirety of the No. 10 race team are tasked with finishing out the remainder of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season with a cloud of uncertainty hanging over them.
Stewart-Haas Racing announced earlier this week it will shut down operations at the end of the season, meaning Gragson and co. are soon to be out of a job. While not an easy situation to navigate around, Gragson isn’t bitter about the end of SHR and wants to keep pushing forward not getting caught up in the off-track drama.
“It was definitely an emotional week, challenging week for our organization but the goal still stands,” Gragson said Sunday, via Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports. “I brought my team together and told them, ‘Hey, don’t burn a bridge. Don’t say something out of spite or what not and be frustrated. It’s gonna be a challenge today and I know how much this place means to you guys.’ That, and the goal still continues of let’s work hard and the harder we work, the better opportunity we have to build our stock as a team and have an opportunity in the future.
“We gotta put the blinders on and keep focused on this weekend at Gateway, next weekend at Sonoma and just keep the focus there because we can get wrapped up in drama and different stuff. But we put the blinders on and we’re hopefully gonna have an opportunity at the end of the day and that’s what we’re all looking for.”
Noah Gragson facing more adversity in young NASCAR career
Having an uncertain future is nothing new for Gragson, even at just 25 years old and in the beginning of his career. Gragson is less than one year removed from struggling in his first full-time Cup Series ride with Legacy Motor Club, a relationship which ended prematurely following his suspension for violating the member conduct section of the NASCAR Rule Book after he liked a racially insensitive post on Instagram.
Gragson missed the last 14 races as a result but landed with SHR this past December on a multiyear agreement. Now, it’s back to looking for more opportunities for Gragson, though he’s positioned himself to be a hot commodity on the free agency market.
He has tallied five top 5s, including three in a row at Talladega, Dover and Kansas in late April/early May. He sits 21st in the points standings, though he would sit 19th if not for a 35-point penalty earlier in the season.
“I’ve been through my fair share of adversity and challenges in life,” Gragson said. “With that being said, it’s just another step in the process. I told Tony [Stewart] that ‘I’m extremely grateful and thankful for you taking a chance on me and giving me an opportunity to reinvent myself, to prove myself and if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be in this position looking for opportunities.’ So, I wouldn’t say there’s much bitterness from me personally.”
Gragson will start 27th in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
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