Noah Gragson takes a dig at Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s 'usual spot' in latest IG story

Leading up to the Cookout 400 at Martinsville Speedway, Noah Gragson playfully trolled rival Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with a selfie. The two drivers have a history of playful banter on social media, often referencing their race results as a running joke.

Noah Gragson qualified 24th for Sunday's race, driving the No.4 Ford. Meanwhile, Stenhouse Jr. secured a spot in the tail end of the field, at 34th. Drawing attention to the placing, Gragson shared a cheeky Instagram story showing Stenhouse Jr. sitting a row behind him in a meeting ahead of Sunday's race.

Sneaking a selfie without his rival noticing, Gragson hilariously captioned it:

"Usual spot for him. Behind me."

Noah Gragson's story aimed at Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Source: @Instagram/noahgragson

In a follow-up story, Gragson shared a shot of his cockpit, featuring a handwritten card on his rear view mirror that read, "Ricky is here every week". Calling out the same, he captioned the image :

"@stenhousejr has a residency in the rear view."

Noah Gragson's shot of his cockpit. Source : @Instagram/noahgragson

During the Martinsville race, both the drivers finished in their qualifying places by Stage 1. Stenhouse Jr. failed to make up any places in stage 2, while Gragson climbed ten spots to finish at 14th. However, the final results saw a role reversal, as Stenhouse Jr. finished ten spots ahead at 20th. Meanwhile, Gragson suffered a late race incident, resulting in a 30th place finish.

The two drivers are currently separated by twelve spots in the standings, with Stenhouse Jr sitting at 20th and Gragson at 32nd.

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Noah Gragson leaves one-word reaction on Martinsville clash with Chris Buescher

Noah Gragson has reacted to an image of his on-track incident with Chris Buescher, offering his take on the gravity-defying nature of the clash.

During stage 3 at Martinsville, RFK Racing's Chris Buescher executed an aggressive move on the inside of Gragson that saw his wheels lift off the ground, resulting in the No.4 Ford spinning. With 91 laps remaining, both drivers pit for tires, as Gragson tumbled down the order from his 28th position.

In an Instagram story uploaded by Gragson, he shared an image of Buescher's car climbing his left rear, captioning it :

"Sick"

Chris Buescher catches air after contact with Noah Gragson's No.4 Ford. Source : @Instagram/noahgragson

The late stage scuffle resulted in Gragson finishing at 30th while Buescher finished five spots ahead at 25th. During the cooldown lap, Gragson showed his displeasure with Buescher, swerving in front and squeezing his No.17 Ford on the inside.

Martinsville marked Gragson's fifth finish outside the top 20, with his best finish being 8th place at the Circuit of the Americas. The 26-year-old has joined Front Row Motorsports on a multiyear deal from 2025. He previously made his debut in 2024 with Stewart Haas Racing.