Toyota Racing – Noah Gragson
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS)
Las Vegas Motor Speedway – September 14, 2018
Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Noah Gragson was made available to the media at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
NOAH GRAGSON, No. 18 Safelite Auto Glass Toyota Tundra, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Is there more pressure in the playoffs?
“I think there is more pressure on the table. There’s a lot more hype going into the race and a lot more heat on the playoff drivers. We have to keep on doing what we need to be doing. We have to stay close to the people who surround myself. It’s not too bad. This race is a little bit different for me because it’s my hometown. I have been here out here all week. I have those butterflies of having a lot of family and friends here. With the playoffs, this first round I think you’ll have butterflies because it’s so tricky. You have the road course and Talladega, so very diverse and unique tracks. Anything can really happen. You want to put yourself in the best situation as possible and make the most of the opportunities.”
What types of risk do you run into in the playoffs?
“There’s a lot of risk and reward in the playoffs. It’s a double edge sword sometimes. In Canada, I felt like there was an opportunity to be able to be locked into the next round. I took a split second decision and made a move that ended up not working out but I made that move several times throughout the race earlier in the event. It wasn’t anything that I did differently. It was just circumstances in that last corner. There’s nothing better than something guaranteed. Guaranteed to be locked into the next round of the playoffs to run for a championship – I felt like that reward was greater than the risk. We had won stage points and to come from back of the pack and to driver my way to the front. We got lucky with a caution and it was well worth the risk to do it. Probably would have done something differently next time but it is what it is. Can’t go back now. Have to keep on working hard and moving forward and try to win more races.”
How do you think restarts will be this weekend?
“I am okay whether they get strung out or if it’s packed up. It was fine with me during the spring race how the race went on where you could throw a blanket over the top-six or seven. I remember about Lap 5 or 6, I was going through Turn 1 and 2, and there was seven or eight of us. I thought this is an awesome race for the fans. These guys have to pumped up watching it. If it gets strung out, I am good with that. We have our own challenges right now we faced yesterday in practice. We have to overcome those first.”
Would you guys want to see more dirt races going forward?
“I enjoy racing every weekend. But I would probably rather take a scooter to the ankle than race on dirt just because it’s so challenging for me. I am not very good at it. I enjoy racing anywhere but that’s probably the most frustrating thing is racing on dirt. It’s not that I don’t like it. You have 31 other race car drivers out there and everyone is fired up to go win. And you’re spinning the tires and your competitive side takes over. It’s really challenging just because you’re so competitive as a driver that when you’re not running good, it’s not as fun. But making practice laps, is a blast. I love it. The racing side is really challenging. We as race car drivers like challenges but it’s pretty hard.”
Is Eldora getting too challenging to race?
“You don’t need to change anything because the fans love it. That’s the whole point of this for the fans. That is the one race I tune into every year that I actually watch the whole entire race. I’ve watched every single race since the start of it because it’s something different, and we don’t need it every weekend. I don’t think we need to change anything because when the trucks don’t drive well, it puts on a fun race to watch. I don’t think you need to change anything. It makes it harder for us drivers but it’s what we’re here for.”
