Gragson Chasing Cup Series Turnaround With Front Row

Noah Gragson has not had the campaign he's hoped to have with Front Row Motorsports this season. (Nigel Kinrade/NKP photo)

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Falling on tough times can build character, but when going through those moments, turning the page and looking forward is often the next step.

Noah Gragson and Front Row Motorsports hope to do just that this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“We’re excited for it. I think Indy is an awesome place and I had a lot of fun there last year. It's another week to get onto the racetrack and try to have a good run,” said Gragson. “We’ve had good speed pretty much all year, but we’ve had atrocious luck by getting collected in wrecks. It’s been a bummer, but we’re looking forward to the positives and that’s the opportunity that’s ahead.”

Gragson has eight finishes in a row outside the top 20 dating back to the beginning of June. His last finish of 20th or better was at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25, when he finished 10th in the Coca-Cola 600.

Since then, Gragson has been collected in wrecks, had weekends where his No. 4 team has been a non-factor and has fallen outside the top 30 in the point standings.

Recently at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway, while not his fault, Gragson was running inside the top 15 when he was collected in a crash in the closing laps.

However, the 27-year-old is ready to turn the page and make the most out of the final five races before the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs this fall.

“At the beginning of the year, the thing we’ve kind of banked on is our speed when we show up. We started last this past weekend because [of rain] and due to us getting spun out twice at Sonoma,” said Gragson. “We started last and drove up within the top 15. We just kept chipping away at it all day and put ourselves in a decent opportunity in the top 10 at the end of the race this past weekend. That’s kind of been the story of the year.

“[Ty Gibbs] hit us and wheel-barrowed us down the front straightaway at Dover and we wrecked. I’ve just gotten collected in a lot of wrecks, and it’s pretty frustrating. I think the speed of our race cars keeps us focused and confident when we go to the track,” Gragson added. “If you don’t have the speed and you’re getting in wrecks, you’re like, ‘Man, I can’t catch a break.’ But, right now, it goes up and down.”

Gragson is tied for the second highest in the league among DNF’s at six, trailing only Ryan Blaney, who has seven in 21 races. In 12 out of 21 contests this year, he has also finished 25th or worse.

Noah Gragson (John Harrelson/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

It’s not the kind of run Gragson wants to be talking about, by any means.

“This is eventually going to turn around, and maybe more than ever we’re telling ourselves that, but we have the speed. The speed is not a huge issue. It doesn’t matter if we’re 30th or fifth or anywhere in between, it seems like we just get caught up in a wreck,” Gragson said. “We’ve just got to finish these things. Never in my career have I been a big believer in luck, but maybe I am now because I don’t know who I pissed off or what happened, but it’s definitely not going our way this year.”

Gragson said his team has tried to look forward and work twice as hard to get the results they want. He acknowledged in their situation, a win within the next five weeks is less likely, but they’re taking things one week at a time.

“The mentality has been ‘we’ve got an opportunity this weekend at Indy. Let’s prepare like we’re gonna try and win the race,’” he explained. “I’m proud of the team we’ve got and I’m proud of [crew chief] Drew Blickensderfer. If we trust each other, it’ll turn around eventually.

“It’s not a question of if, it’s just when.”

At Indianapolis, Gragson has one Cup Series start on the oval layout. He qualified 21st last year for Stewart-Haas Racing and drove up to finish ninth in the Brickyard 400. His other oval start at the track was in 2019 in the Xfinity Series driving for JR Motorsports, where he finished third.

From here on out, the rest of the season is about Gragson and company making the most out of each week. That starts in Indy for the Las Vegas, Nev., native.

“The great ones go through challenges, but, I don’t know, I’m kind of over it. I just want a week to go well, but I know that it does definitely build you up during these times. You definitely work on yourself and focus on yourself and just try to become better,” said Gragson. “When you’re winning every race and you’re on top of the world, you don’t feel like you need a lot of improvement.

“But it’s times when you’re in the trenches where you really get down in the weeds and look at yourself in the mirror and have a lot of reflection. It’s tough, but we’ll get through it.”

Coverage of the 29th Brickyard 400 presented by PPG from Indianapolis begins Sunday, July 27 at 2 p.m. ET on TNT, the IMS Radio Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.