Noah Gragson brands himself ‘arrogant and uneducated’ for linking racist social media post that prompted his Legacy MC exit

Noah Gragson is critical of himself over the actions that caused his exit.

Noah Gragson brands himself ‘arrogant and uneducated’ for linking racist social media post that prompted his Legacy MC exit

Noah Gragson (Via IMAGO)

The 2023 season has been a nightmare for Noah Gragson as he saw his whole career coming to a premature end over a social media post-linked controversy. He lost his NASCAR Cup Series ride with Jimmie Johson’s Legacy Motor Club for liking a social media post that mocked the murder of George Floydd by the police.

Gregson was first indefinitely suspended by Legacy MC and was later given the same punishment by NASCAR after the news broke about his actions. He later exited the team following a mutually agreed termination of his contract. The young driver was re-instated by NASCAR after he underwent sensitivity training as mandated by the sanctioning body.

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He is now slowly finding his way back to the pinnacle of stock car racing and the 2023 Snowball derby was one of the important steps. Ahead of the event he addressed his regretful actions and admitted it was an ignorant move. He claimed that he had put a lot of effort into properly understanding his mistakes.

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I was quite frankly uneducated and just ignorant. I’ve had a lot of conversations with a lot of different people, put in a lot of time and effort to learn and understand things that I just didn’t know anything about.
Gragson said, as reported by on3.Com.

Noah Gragson might return to Cup series in 2024

Despite the disappointing end to his Cup shot with Legacy, Gregson might get another shot at redemption next season. He is one of the possible replacements for Aric Almirola, who retired from full-time racing, at Stewart Haas Racing.

Noah Gragson and Aric Almirola
Noah Gragson and Aric Almirola (Via IMAGO)

But taking over the No:10 Ford Mustang ride is no easy task. With Almirola’s exit, SHR lost one of its biggest sponsors in Smithfield. If Gregson wants to have a shot at getting a seat, he most probably has to come in with a big primary sponsor.

SHR lost Kevin Harvick’s sponsor Busch Lights as well this season, a massive hit on the financials. This means the team might prioritize a solid sponsorship over just signing a driver based on talent as they did with Harvick’s replacement, Josh Berry.

This puts Gragson in a tricky situation. Before the controversy, the 2022 Xfinity Championship runner-up had some swag and personality to attract fans even if he wasn’t in the best machinery. But at the moment he isn’t the most sought-after racer and sponsors can’t be blamed for overlooking him, as there will be a lot of limelight on him that often won’t be positive, at least for next season.

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