Noah Gragson claps back at Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s comment about skipping pickleball to avoid 'the smoke at another game'

With just a day remaining till NASCAR officially begins its 2025 season with the Daytona 500, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was seen playing pickleball in Pictona at Holly Hill, a 49-court world-class pickleball facility located just outside of Daytona Beach. As his mates swung their paddles, Stenhouse Jr. tagged Noah Gragson in a recent post on Instagram.

In the caption, Stenhouse Jr. stated that Gragson hadn’t shown up because he was afraid of losing.

"Had to play some professionals at pickleball this morning cause @NoahGragson didn't want the smoke at another sport...", he wrote.

In the video, the Hyak Motorsports driver said:

“We're not practicing today so today's kind of a, just a chillout day, last day before the Daytona 500. Got a autograph session at 12:30 over at the track...couple little interviews but it's good to be back playing pickleball. It's been a while. Played a little bit last week, getting my feet underneath me, getting my shots back but we just lost that game.”

But Gragson wasn’t going to let it slide. He commented,

“Buddy didn't want the smoke in golf this morning. Never got the pickleball invite but I guess a good story is better than a true story...”

Gragson also shared the video on his Instagram story and wrote:

“Never got the invite. Homie is scared of all the Vegas guys…”

(Source: Noah Gragson/Instagram)

2025 marks Noah Gragson’s debut season driving the No. 4 Chevy for Front Row Motorsports. Paired with his old crew chief (at Stewart-Haas Racing) Drew Blickensderfer, the 26-year-old Las Vegas native will start this year’s Daytona 500 32nd in a 41-car field. Stenhouse, on the other hand, qualified 31st and will start alongside Gragson.

The 67th Daytona 500 will kick off on Sunday, February 16, from 1:30 pm ET onwards. Fans can watch the famed 500-miler live on FOX or listen to its radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Zep to join Noah Gragson for two Cup races including NASCAR’s return to Daytona

Zep, an industry leader in Maintenon and cleaning solutions, will serve as the primary sponsor for Noah Gragson’s No. 4 team in two point-paying races this year. The news was reported by journalist Toby Christie on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Christie wrote,

“Zep will join Noah Gragson as a two-race primary sponsorship partner and full-season associate sponsor for the No. 4 Front Row Motorsports team during the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.”

The first race sponsored by Zep will be held at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 22, followed by another in August, when NASCAR returns to the Daytona International Speedway.

“Zep is excited about our new partnership with Front Row Motorsports as the official cleaning brand throughout their organization,” said Greg Heyer, Executive Vice President Retail Sales and Marketing at Zep Inc. “We look forward to working with Noah Gragson and the No. 4 team as the primary sponsor at some key races this season and help bring FRM to victory lane!”

Gragson is still seeking his first win in the NASCAR Cup Series. Last year, he ended up 24th in points, picking one top-five and seven top-10s on the way. 2025 will be his second full season in the series.