Noah Gragson was looking to end the year on a high note at Homestead-Miami Speedway before he moves up to the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2019. However, his night went sour with 33 laps to go. A tire issue on his No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota prevented him from winning the championship and the race after a tremendous battle with Brett Moffit.
He led twice for 34 laps but had to settle for a third-place finish in Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Ford EcoBoost 200.
“I was just way too tight there at the end,” Gragson told MRN Radio. “We fired off pretty good and it was just a battle between having to back out of the racetrack, and not being able to turn. Just devastated for my guys, they worked really hard and this one would have been for them. I give all my credit to Rudy Fugle (crew chief), Kyle Busch Motorsports. Just unfortunate, but on the bright side, I learned a hell of a lot tonight. I raced a Cup rookie of the year for the championship, so that’s pretty cool to say. Just very thankful for the opportunity.”
Gragson finishes the season with one win, nine top fives and 18 top 10 finishes. Next year he will move to the Xfinity Series, replacing the retiring Elliott Sadler, at JR Motorsports.
