By: Ashley McCubbin

In the midst of pandemic, there has been a variety of news offered by NASCAR each day, but not everybody has kept up on everything.

“I’ve been really busy with training and getting ready for Bristol with my team,” Noah Gragson commented. “I guess racing, and watching the races these past couple of days, have been really busy.”

The response is to be expected from the second-year NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor, with the adjusted schedule bringing forth changes to driver’s routines, and mid-week races. It only intensifies in knowing the next challenge ahead is a trip to the toughest bullring on the calendar, Bristol Motor Speedway.

With no on-track time before the green flag for the Cheddar’s 300 on Monday, Gragson says those first laps of the event will see drivers nervous and sweating bullets.

“That’s a really hard race track,” he commented. “You normally go there and you get two hours of practice, and you get around that place for the first time – and there’s no expectations. The first laps for the drivers in practice, 5, 10, 15 laps, that’s just to get confidence and regroup and get comfortable around the race track. That place is so hard. You get done and the crew chief asks what your car is like, and you have to take a minute and a half to just catch your breath.

“It’s unlike any other race track that you go to. The sensation of speed is so high there. We might not be going as fast as a mile-and-a-half or Daytona or Talladega, only getting up to 50 mph, but it feels like you’re going so much faster with just that sensation of speed.”

Despite knowing the challenge that lies before him, Gragson is ready to embrace it as he says the “unload and go style” has been fun thus far.

“It’s been separating a lot of the men from the boys, and I’ve been good, having to lead at Darlington and at Charlotte, I started 10^th and was up to fifth by the end of the first lap,” he said. “So some of these guys are really cautious, but I just like to go all for it and put on a show for the fans. We’ve been able to make it stick these last few weeks, so I think it’s been really fun.”

Being able to run up front certainly helps, and Gragson has accomplished that. He led 46 laps en route to finishing fifth at Darlington Raceway, and ran inside the top-five all race at Charlotte Motor Speedway until a spin late in the event relegated him back to 11th.

As a whole, the JR Motorsports driver has scored three top-five’s in the seven races this season with 92 laps led, including the victory at Daytona International Speedway in February. In comparison, he only paced 72 laps through all of 2019 with only one top-five in the first seven events, nine top-five’s for the year.

Gragson attributes the success this year due to more confidence in his team with their second year together, and the effort put in the shop through the winter months.

“Obviously, you could say that we’re a Farm team of Hendrick Motorsports and they’ve been running really well with their new camaros,” he said. “With that being said, it just gives me confidence in a driver in knowing we’ll have fast cars when we unload. We’ve been fast these past couple of weekends and the guys are working really hard. I’ve believed in them every race of my career, but I’m really happy and confident in where are right now. Just being on the same page with my crew chief and knowing we’ll have fast cars when we get to the race track.”

The confidence comes at the right time, as the NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash program will kick off on Monday at Bristol.

“I really like the Dash for Cash program,” Gragson expressed. “I think it’s really cool what Xfinity does for the sport, and whatnot. In 2018, I ran Joe Gibbs Racing for three races and I was a part of all three of those Dash 4 Cash races – Richmond, Talladega, and then Dover. It felt like different energy in those Dash 4 Cash races, different atmosphere; everybody is racing that much harder.”

With Gragson willing to push the element and feeling comfortable right from the drop of the green flag, these events could certainly end off with a nice payday for him.