NASCAR Cup Series rookie Noah Gragson was suspended indefinitely by both NASCAR and Legacy Motor Club on Saturday following actions that Gragson made on his social media accounts. Screenshots showed that Gragson had liked a racially insensitive meme that made light of the May 2020 death of George Floyd in police custody on his Instagram account.
Gragson, who drives the No. 42 Chevrolet for Legacy Motor Club, was indefinitely suspended by his team on Saturday morning "regarding his actions that do not represent the values of our team." NASCAR subsequently followed Legacy Motor Club's actions by indefinitely suspending Gragson, ruling that he had violated the member conduct section of the sport's rule book.
Josh Berry was tabbed to drive Gragson's No. 42 in his place, and he would proceed to qualify 35th for Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan. Gragson, meanwhile, issued a formal apology for his actions on his Twitter account.
I am disappointed in myself for my lack of attention and actions on social media.
— Noah Gragson (@NoahGragson) August 5, 2023
I understand the severity of this situation.
I love and appreciate everyone.
I try to treat everyone equally no matter who they are. I messed up plain and simple. https://t.co/PCX6iMJxRF
Gragson, a 25-year-old from Las Vegas, N.V., moved to Cup with Legacy Motor Club in 2023 after becoming one of NASCAR's most flamboyant and popular young drivers while racing in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports. Maturity, however, has been an issue for Gragson at times. For instance, Gragson was fined $35,000 last season for intentionally wrecking another driver and sparking a massive multi-car accident during an Xfinity Series race at Road America.
The transition to Cup has proved to be a difficult one for Gragson, as he has endured a miserable rookie season. He has just two finishes inside the top 20 all season with a best of 12th at Atlanta in March, and his average finish of 28.2 is the second worst among all full-time drivers in Cup. Gragson currently sits 33rd in the Cup Series standings, having already missed a race after suffering a concussion following a crash at Gateway in June.
Gragson had already been in a difficult position entering Michigan, as The Athletic reported earlier this week that he could be replaced by John Hunter Nemechek upon Legacy Motor Club's switch to Toyota in 2024. Such a move would mark the third driver in three years for Legacy Motor Club's No. 42, which has lagged far behind the team's No. 43 in performance since debuting in 2022.
