"Better learn some stuff": Noah Gragson pokes fun at Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s visit to UFC performance institute 

Former Daytona 500 champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. recently shared a clip of his visit to the Ultimate Fighting Championship's facility on Instagram, ahead of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway race. His reel grabbed the attention of Front Row Motorsports driver Noah Gragson, and he poked fun at the Hyak Motorsports driver.

Stenhouse Jr. debuted in the Cup Series in 2011 with Wood Brothers Racing. He landed a full-time seat in 2013 with Roush Fenway Racing and competed for the team for seven seasons. Later, he moved to the JTG Daughtery Racing team and drove the #47 Chevy Camaro ZL1. He won his first and only Daytona 500 title with the team in 2023.

In the latest clip, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. visited the UFC Performance Institute to workout with professional athletes. He had a boxing session followed by a sparring session. Stenhouse Jr. wrapped up his workout by practicing grappling with professionally trained athletes.

"I had a lot of fun here. Got to work on choking people out. They choked me out. I can see why these people tap, definitely. I don't know if I would tap or not, but very appreciative of UFC for having us out," said the Hyak Motorsports driver.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. showcased his gratitude to the UFC for coaching him and wrote:

"Had a blast at the @UFCPI today! Huge thanks to @UFC for having me, and a big shoutout to @ForrestGriffin, @MieshaTate, and @BryanBattle68 for the coaching 👊.

Reflecting upon the same Junior's fellow Cup Series driver Noah Gragson, humorously commented:

"Better learn some stuff. Gonna need it"

The Mississippi native replied:

"@noahgragson Ross said I’m good to go"

Noah Gragson's reaction to Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s video (Source: @stenhousejr via Instagram)

The series of exchanging light-hearted comments between the two Cup Series drivers began ahead of the Phoenix race. The exchange left fans confused about whether the scenario was serious or just playful banter. Later, the #47 Chevy driver revealed that Gragson enjoys joking around with fellow drivers.

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. opened up about his racing strategy at Phoenix Raceway

NASCAR offered two tire choices at Phoenix Raceway, and reflecting upon the same, Hyak Motorsports driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. talked about his strategies. The Cup Series driver mentioned that being a single charter team, they had limited data compared to other big teams to analyze multiple sets of data.

Continuing further, the #47 Chevy driver revealed that he prefers softer tires. But also claimed that having two tire options gives a sense of flexibility to the drivers. He explained his statement, citing the Richmond Raceway example:

"I think at Richmond, you get a lot of tire wear in general, and so the softer tire wore out and there were different strategies to be had. I think here, you're probably going to save them for the last two runs if you want a good finish."

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. concluded that Phoenix Raceway has been tough on the team. He revealed that he had struggled in the past few races on the track. His last top-ten finish at the one-mile oval track came in 2017 when he finished eighth. Since then, the driver has struggled to land a top-ten finish on the track.