“I got merked”: Noah Gragson upset after losing Madden NFL game to Chase Briscoe

Although Noah Gragson and Chase Briscoe, both part of Stewart-Haas Racing, haven't qualified for the playoffs this year, they've secured a ride for next season. This comes after SHR announced that the team would be disbanding at the end of the season.

Briscoe is set to take the wheel of the #19 car for Joe Gibbs Racing, while Gragson will join Front Row Motorsports. But for now, the pair seems to be unwinding by playing the College Football 25 video game, which Gragson recently lost.

After starting in the sixth spot at the Coke Zero Sugar 400, Briscoe crossed the finish line in 14th place. Meanwhile, Noah Gragson, who began the race in 15th position for the penultimate regular-season race, dropped to 37th after getting tangled in a multi-car wreck on Lap 61.

To relax over the weekend following the race, a recent video from Stewart-Haas Racing showed Gragson heading over to Briscoe's bus to play some College Football 25. Despite the friendly competition, Noah Gragson couldn’t hide his disappointment after losing to Briscoe, as he remarked at the end of the video:

"I got merked."

The SHR drivers kicked back in their recliners, with Briscoe puzzling over the game controls and asking:

"How do you make the crowd get louder? Is there a way to do that?"

From the other side, competitive Noah Gragson quipped:

"Yeah, you make it a close game."

The pair are gearing up for the upcoming regular season finale at Darlington.

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Previewing Noah Gragson's Cook Out Southern 500

The upcoming Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington will mark Noah Gragson's third race on the track, his previous appearances being in the Goodyear 400 races held in May. Last year, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver finished P26 but this year, he managed to step it up to P14 place.

Gragson has an overall average Cup Series finish of 20.0 at Darlington Raceway. However, he's no stranger to the nitty-gritty of the racetrack, having competed at Darlington Raceway during his Xfinity Series days where he boasted an average finish of 4.0.

His peak performances in the Xfinity Series came in 2021 and 2022 when he won both races. In seven starts at Darlington driving the #9 for JR Motorsports during his Xfinity days, Gragson never finished below P8 [in 2019].

Over his last five Xfinity races at Darlington, the 26-year-old finished four in the top-5. Furthermore, he’ll be racing in an Xfinity event on Saturday, driving the #30 car for Rette-Jones Racing. It will be his fourth Xfinity start this season and he will aim for another top-10 finish.

The Cook Out Southern 500 race at Darlington will also be Gragson's final shot at making the playoffs in the Cup Series this year. Currently sitting P24 in the driver standings with 426 points, every lap will count as he tries to break into the playoff field.