Dale Earnhardt Jr. breaks silence on uncertainty over Noah Gragson as he seeks a ‘second chance’
Dale Jr. was Noah Gragson’s teammate and boss at JRM.
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Noah Gragson (Credits: @darcystallerand/Twitter) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Credits: IMAGO)
NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. has given his take on the uncertainty over Noah Gragson’s future in the premier stock car racing division. Dale Jr. was previously the boss of Gragson at Junior Motorsports, where he secured multiple wins and careers best P2 finish in the championship in the 2022 season behind Ty Gibbs.
The impressive season earned him a cup seat with Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy MC, and he was ready to challenge Gibbs, who was with Joe Gibbs Racing, for the Rookie of the Year title. But what was awaiting him was a nightmare. His No:42 car was one of the worst in the grid and never had a solid pace. He had multiple run-ins at the track and even fought with Ross Chastain.
Things took a dark turn when Legacy MC suspended him and later NASCAR for liking a meme on Instagram that mocked the tragic murder of George Floyd by the hand of the police. He was suspended before the Michigan race, and the next week, ahead of the Indy event, it was announced that the team had released him.
While discussing the youngster’s future, Dale Jr pointed out that he can still return to the sport. The two times Xfinity series champion believes in the ability of the former LMC driver caliber to produce solid performance and claimed that he has what it takes to make a comeback, as he can bring pretty good value to the team.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about this, and I think Noah can get back. I think he could. He’s good enough, you know. He won enough races in the Xfinity series and showed that when he’s got it all together in his head and on his shoulders, he could be a pretty good value for the team,” Junior said in the recent episode of Dale Jr Download podcast.
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Dale Jr. says Noah Gragson will be hoping that his replacement doesn’t do that well in the No:42 car
The JRM boss pointed out that Gragson might be hoping to see the driver replacing him struggle as he did. Dale Jr. didn’t have any ill intentions while making this comment, as he added that it’s generally what every driver who misses races wants to see the substitute perform. Josh Berry, who drove the Chevy at MIS, and Mike Rokenfeller, who went at Indy, didn’t have the best days.
“Noah’s going to probably sit there and watch the #42, and anytime you’re replaced or you’re out injured or whatever, you kinda watch that car you were driving, and you go, ‘man, I hope it didn’t run better when I drove it.’” Dale Jr said.
Noah Gragson can’t waste time seeing what his replacement is doing, as he needs to work on getting better and redeeming himself quickly. He has to do work on and off the track to prove he deserves a second chance and should be ready to produce solid runs once he gets the chance.
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Justin P Joy
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