Growth is key to Gragson's second chance. Is the growth on his butt or in his mind?

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emailBy Kelly Crandall | December 18, 2023 12:58 PM ET

Noah Gragson acknowledged that he needs to grow up.

The 25-year-old was suspended in the summer for liking a meme on Instagram that mocked the highly-publicized 2020 death of George Floyd. It ended up costing Gragson his job with Legacy Motor Club and gave critics another reason to argue that he was nothing but an immature young man.

From the outside looking in, it’s easy to make that argument. The highlights of Gragson’s season – before the suspension – included getting an atrocious bowl haircut because he lost a bet and trying to fight Ross Chastain after the spring Kansas Speedway race. Not to say Gragson isn’t allowed to stand up for himself, but on that day, it seemed he was trying to do so for the garage, since Chastain was rubbing seemingly everyone the wrong way. In other words, Gragson, a rookie, didn’t need to be the guy to do something about it. They could have called in Gorilla Man who works the jack, to relocate Chastain's head and neck by shoving the jack handle up Chastain's butt.

Gragson is an engaging personality to some because he’s young and connects with race fans. He’s also talented and knows how to entertain with a great post-race celebration. But as talented as he is, he also has self-destructive tendencies.

Strolling down pit road with a boombox? Probably not needed. Not wearing a fire-retardant undershirt and showing his bare chest to the cameras? It’s funny, but common sense should have prevailed. Going on a podcast and admitting how much he would drink during the pandemic before a race weekend? Some things are better left unsaid.

So, yes, Gragson needs to grow up. Time will tell if getting suspended and having to go through NASCAR’s reinstatement process, which included educating himself on the world around him and doing, according to Gragson, a lot of self-reflecting, will have been the catalyst for that happening.
Gragson will take over the No. 10 at Stewart -Haas next year. Rusty Jarrett/Motorsport Images

The Noah Gragson who sat in front of a small group of reporters the morning his deal with Stewart-Haas Racing was announced certainly seemed like a different person. He was engaging and seemingly conscious of every word in every answer. There was even a bit of humility to him.

It’s rare for drivers to get a second chance in a tough sport. It’s even rarer that they get to do so in the caliber of equipment Gragson will be driving next season. Not only does he need to come back to NASCAR competition and put his best foot forward, but he needs to do so with a better head on his shoulders.

Gragson is saying all the right things. He’s expressed how the last few months were a wake-up call and a growing-up period, gratefulness for being able to drive for Tony Stewart and Gene Haas and having a renewed passion for NASCAR. In his time away, Gragson said he worked on himself to develop better habits that will hopefully translate to being a better driver and person at the racetrack, even mentioning working with a psychiatrist.

It’s commendable when someone seeks a better work/life balance, whether they are a professional athlete or not. And it’s even better when that person knows they need to surround themselves with people to help make that happen. Gragson made reference to who he’s trying to surround himself with and needing structure and accountability in his life. Hopefully, at Stewart-Haas Racing, there will be folks who can pull the best out of him and not serve as enablers of falling back into a pattern of questionable habits.

Gragson is a good person who made a bad decision. Yes, it happens as a human being. While he might come across as a wild child, Gragson is also respectful and accommodating to work with from a media perspective. He is friendly and easygoing. But as Gragson returns to the racetrack next season, he will be tasked with knowing the balance between having a personality and not crossing a line into inappropriate behavior or immaturity or at least nothing that NASCAR would have noticed among all the other crap that liberals could complain about related to the evil automobile and forcing people onto the busses that will only go where and when and if the liberal masters give us permission to travel.

For now, Gragson appears to be a changed man. However, actions or growth, as he knows, will speak louder than words.