Noah Gragson claimed his second top-10 of the season in the NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a sixth-place finish. After starting 30th, he methodically made his way toward the front in his No. 10 Fanitik Ford. It was his best result since joining Stewart-Haas Racing this year and the third top-10 of his Cup Series career.
It has been a fresh start for Gragson who was suspended by NASCAR in 2023 for violating its member conduct code when he liked an offensive social media post. He was reinstated on Sept. 12 after completing a NASCAR-mandated course. Gragson asked for and received a release from Legacy Motor Club.
In December 2023 it was announced that Gragson had signed a multi-year deal to drive the No. 10 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing.
“Stewart-Haas is filled with racers and I saw that and felt it as soon as I walked onto the shop floor,” he said. “There are high expectations here and a strong desire to compete and win races. I have high expectations for myself and I want to deliver for Tony and Gene and everyone at Stewart-Haas.”
So far, Gragson has kept his promise to deliver.
“These guys are good. It feels good to do it in front of the hometown crowd. I was battling Ty (Gibbs) and Ross (Chastain) there at the end for a top-five. I really wanted a top-five, but coming from 30th to sixth, I’m just really proud of everyone’s effort,” he said.
“This Mustang Dark Horse is bitchin’. It’s fast and it’s been really good. This compared to last year just has a lot more speed. You can go where you want. We’ve got a good pit crew and just a good team.
“We’re going to take this and get back into the positives in points and just keep on working, keep on learning and becoming better than we were yesterday and just keep that attitude. I think we’ve got the tightest group in the garage. They’re awesome to work with and I love every one of them.”
Tune in next weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Phoenix Raceway for the Shriners Children’s 500.
