Noah Gragson’s NASCAR Cup career with the Jimmie Johnson co-owned Legacy Motor Club is over.
Gragson this morning asked for his release from his contract as the driver of the No. 42 NASCAR Cup Series entry. The request comes five days after his indefinite suspension for “liking” a social media post poking fun at the death of George Floyd and two days after it was learned that LMC would be parking Gragson for the rest of the 2023 season.
Gragson issued the following statement:
“I have asked Legacy Motor Club to release me from my contract so that I can take time to work through the NASCAR reinstatement process. I love racing, and I am looking forward to a second chance to compete for wins at the highest level of NASCAR—and most importantly, make my family, my team and the fans proud of me once again.”
Sports car and Le Mans 24 veteran Mike Rockenfeller will be in the 42 car for this Sunday’s race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on on August 20 at Watkins Glen.
Gragson, 25, struggled in what was to be his first full year in the Cup Series. He’s 33rd in the points and his average finish was 28th. Gragson was runner-up in the NASCAR Xfinity championship in 2022 and runner-up in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2018.
Cal Wells III, CEO of Legacy Motor Club says that he expects Gragson to one day return to NASCAR.
“Noah has a ton of talent and has a great personality,” Wells said. “This is a difficult situation, but we are proud that Noah has taken ownership of his actions and are confident he will work through this process with NASCAR and come back stronger.”
Gragson apologized for his actions on social media.
Mike Pryson covered auto racing for the Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot and MLive Media Group from 1991 until joining Autoweek in 2011. He won several Michigan Associated Press and national Associated Press Sports Editors awards for auto racing coverage and was named the 2000 Michigan Auto Racing Fan Club’s Michigan Motorsports Writer of the Year. A Michigan native, Mike spent three years after college working in southwest Florida before realizing that the land of Disney and endless summer was no match for the challenge of freezing rain, potholes and long, cold winters in the Motor City.
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