“I’m kind of in a really good headspace now”: Noah Gragson not ‘panicking’ and believes good things coming their way

Rookie driver Noah Gragson has had a disappointing 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season so far.

The #42 driver appeared to be going for a big turnaround at the recently concluded GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway before colliding in a wreck, which left him sidelined for the rest of the race and credited with DNF. It was his second in the last four Cup races.

After the Talladega race, when asked if he had been panicking in certain situations while racing, Gragson replied:

“No, I’m actually kind of the complete opposite. The (team) has a lot of good things in the works, kind of behind the scenes. Hiring more engineers and utilizing the sim in a better way.”

Despite the DNF result, the Legacy Motor Club driver said he is in a good frame of mind and optimistic to perform better in the upcoming races. He also stated that constant feedback is going on at the team behind the scenes, which is key to keeping himself in a good frame of mind before entering the race track.

Gragson explained:

“I’m kind of in a really good headspace now and we have good things coming our way. It’s going to take a little bit of time but those constant reminders of seeing what’s going on in the background are definitely key for my mentality of staying focused, confident, comfortable and energized and ready to go to the race track.”

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“This No. 42 team was really on top of it today” – Noah Gragson

Driving the #42 Chevrolet for Legacy Motor Club in Talladega, Noah Gragson had an eventful race but was not happy with how his race ended in the final mile. Sharing his views on the race during the post-race interview, Gragson said:

“This No. 42 team was really on top of it today. Good pit stops and a fast car there in the race. I felt like we were in a good position restarting on the front row on a green-white-checkered."

He continued:

“I got kind of shoved out there and bobbled a little bit by (Chastain). I just got to look back and see what I could do better. Obviously, not let (Chastain) get inside me. Overall, it was a good day until it wasn’t.”

Noah Gragson currently sits 31st in the NASCAR Cup Series driver’s standings with 108 points. His best finish of the P12 2023 season came at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.