Noah Gragson "confident" ahead of NASCAR Xfinity race at Martinsville

Noah Gragson hasn't had the easiest of starts to the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, but the 22-year-old is confident of a good showing at the Cook Out 250 at Martinsville this Friday.

The first race of the season, at Daytona, saw Gragson register a did-not-finish (DNF), followed by P28 at the Daytona road course and a DNF at Homestead.

Gragson fought back with a top 5 at Las Vegas and built on it with fourth place at Atlanta, but could not avoid a DNF at Phoenix.

Speaking to Fox's Bob Pockrass, Gragson meant business ahead of Friday's race:

As a driver who has been in the middle of some drama during the start of the season, does that impact how Noah Gragson races Martinsville, a track where cars tend to have contact with one another? pic.twitter.com/sCxUylucpW

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 7, 2021

He was quite clear about his approach and stated that he wanted to build on the two top 5s that he has been able to muster so far this season.

What to expect from NASCAR driver Noah Gragson during the rest of 2021?

Since we’re headed to Martinsville on Friday night, here’s some stats. In 4 Truck starts Noah Gragson had an average finish of 4.25 with 1 Win, 3 Top 5’s & 4 Top 10 finishes. In 1 Xfinity Series start he finished 3rd & led 23 laps. Let’s keep digging. @NoahGragson pic.twitter.com/xWQi5x5kGG

— Tyler (@_justtyler7) April 5, 2021

Gragson is a proven driver and he will be wanting to build on his recent successes at Las Vegas and Atlanta. He will, however, look to leave behind the ugly fight he got into with Daniel Hemric after the race at Homestead.

While Martinsville is not the easiest of tracks to come off unscathed, Gragson will be looking to make amends and be in contention for the playoffs. He is currently 14th in Xfinity Series points.