"I just kept begging my parents" - Noah Gragson reveals humble beginnings to racing career in discussion with Liam Lawson

In a one-of-a-kind connection between NASCAR and Formula 1, Cup Series driver Noah Gragson and Liam Lawson from the extended Red Bull squad spent time chatting about both motorsports. Both drivers opened up about the start of their racing careers in a candid conversation as they explored Las Vegas.

Although NASCAR and F1 are the pinnacle of racing in the stock car and single-seater open-wheel categories, the difference between the two is like day and night. While the former takes place primarily on oval circuits, the latter takes place on tracks with a combination of straights and sharp or high-speed corners. Another differentiating aspect is how live data contributes during a race, where F1 relies more on sensors to monitor every aspect of the car than NASCAR does.

During the conversation, both Noah Gragson and Liam Lawson spoke about how they became a part of the racing fraternity and explained the challenges each had when entering the sport.

"I started when I was 13 years old racing with a buddy of mine. I went out to a race with him. Man, this is awesome. I just kept begging my parents. Finally got the opportunity. A guy who worked for my dad, his kids raced and went out to the track out here to Las Vegas Motor Speedway," Gragson explained (3:44 onward).

"We have a similar story though, because my parents didn't race. Like my family didn't race. We watched Formula 1 but didn't know how to get into it. And then my mate started racing and I went and watched him. And that's how I got into it as well," Lawson shared, highlighting the similarities (4:10 onward).

Here's a look at the video of the entire conversation available on YouTube:

While Noah Gragson ended his 2024 season with a 24th-place finish on the driver's table in the NASCAR Cup Series, Lawson was called in as a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo in VCARB for the final six races of the F1 season.

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"We got each other’s back at the end of the day," - Noah Gragson shares an insight on friendship between fellow NASCAR drivers

Noah Gragson during the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. - Source: Imagn

NASCAR is a competitive motorsport with intense battles taking place on the racetrack. However, in an interview during the Championship 4 race weekend at Phoenix Raceway, Noah Gragson shared an insight into the friendship between fellow NASCAR drivers off the racetrack.

"They say bring your friends to the racetrack. But this is a grueling, grueling schedule and you’re pissed off by everyone else 38 weeks of the year. And you have to be around them 38 weeks a year.… So we can find that balance and race hard. We put each other in bad positions sometimes, and it doesn’t work out," he said.

"But I feel like we all do a pretty good job at being able to find that balance and separation between, hey, when we’re inside the track, we’re here to compete against each other when we put the helmets on. But when we walk outside the gates, we got each other’s back at the end of the day," Gragson explained.

This attitude is more commonly seen among young NASCAR drivers like Gragson, Harrison Burton, Zane Smith, and a few others.