Noah Gragson might have the best right hand in NASCAR, at least since the days of Bobby and Cale.
He’s also got some talent behind the wheel and behind the mic, maybe just the right combination to be what NASCAR fans have been clamouring for.
Right now, NASCAR has a lot of young talent at all three of their upper levels (Cup, XFINITY, Trucks): Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Cole Custer, Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, to name just a half dozen. (A year or two from now, you will be able to add Hailie Deegan to that list of names.)
The amount of talent on the track bodes well for a sport that is going to lose one of the biggest names in its history (Jimmie Johnson) to retirement at the end of the season. But to really carry the sport into the rest of this decade, a driver needs more than skills. Like many professional sports, NASCAR relies on the power of television and, since the 70s/80s, drivers have had have needed to become television personalities to garner, maintain and increase sponsorship in order to maintain top level rides.
Noah Gragson has four wins across NASCAR’s top three series: two wins in the Trucks and two wins in XFINITY. That may not sound like a lot but both of his XFINITY wins have come in 2020 (the February race at Daytona and the June race at Bristol) suggesting that perhaps Gragson is just starting to hit his stride. (He finished in the Top 10 in 2/3 of the races last year and has done the same in 11 of the 15 races so far this year.)
So obviously, he’s got the talent and he’s getting results. You might argue the results are due, in part, to him driving for JR Motorsports, so he is in top-level equipment. And I would agree that any driver – no matter what the talent – is going to fare better in JR Motorsports than, say, JD Motorsports. However, by running for JR Motorsports, Gragson is gaining valuable experience in running up front, racing for wins and competing for championships, all of which is going to help his confidence when he makes the eventual transition to Cup.
But what sets Gragson apart, what should be making fans, teams and sponsors stop and take notice of him, is his ability to showcase his personality. Take for example his “victory slide” across the hood of his car (“Dukes of Hazzard”-style…wait, can I make that reference in 2020) after his win in the season opener at Daytona.
He is also very active on social media and not afraid to play the clown or make fun of himself. He comes across as someone who just enjoys being a race car driver and is going to be himself, all others be damned.
Gragson seems to have set himself apart from many of his contemporaries. With all due respect to many of the newcomers to Cup or the next wave in Trucks and XFINITY, even the drivers with the most on-track success seem to struggle with being memorable – or, for some, even comfortable – when it comes to being on camera.
He’s also not afraid to race hard and make a beeline for the front of the pack. This can sometimes lead to controversy, like the time he moved teammate Justin Allgaier aside so he could get the win at Bristol. I’m sure Allgaier wasn’t amused but we have seen other drivers “rattle someone’s cage” at Bristol and not fare too badly career-wise.
Okay, so Gragon may not be Earnhardt but he doesn’t seem to be the next Kyle Busch either, with a personality that not only often overshadows their CUP (emphasis added) results but is often polarizing. (In fact, Kyle Busch may be NASCAR’s Donald Trump, where he can do no wrong in some eyes and no right in others.)
Instead, I think Gragson may be a suitable replacement for Tony Stewart. Stewart – for the most part – was able to walk the walk and talk the talk. In other words, he could always be counted upon to be colourful when someone put a mic in front of his face, but wasn’t going to turn around and run mid-pack the next week.
Stewart, who has been critical about the lack of personality shown by young drivers, was one of a number of colourful and talented stars that NASCAR has lost to retirement in recent years. NASCAR doesn’t just need people who can fill rides, they need people who can make viewers tune in.
People can knock Vince McMahon for referring to WWE as “sports entertainment” but there isn’t a sports organization in the world that is not promoting a brand of sports entertainment. NASCAR is no different, and it needs more than just people who can drive race cars 500 miles and then go back to their motorhomes and drive away.
They need to be entertaining. People aren’t going to become invested in someone who is bland. To reference WWE/sports entertainment again, there have been many wrestlers who had a ton of in-ring talent but couldn’t break into the main event because their mic skills just couldn’t make people care about their character.
A NASCAR driver may have all the talent behind the wheel but their career isn’t going to go far if he can’t make the people at home want to root for him.
Thankfully for Noah Gragson, he has the ability to make himself interesting to the viewers at home. Interesting to the point where people take notice of him and are starting to think “Man, I want to see what he does next!” (Even if he’s not quite the next Tony Stewart, he might be the next Clint Bowyer, the type of guy who, win or lose, always walks away with the best line.)
Of course, as with many drivers, future success will ultimately depend on opportunity. The old argument of whether victory comes from the car or the driver usually falls somewhere in the middle. Noah Gragson has the talent and the personality to go far in NASCAR but will need the right ride to get him there. As a reminder, Gragson currently drives for JR Motorsports, which has a rather strong alliance with Hendrick Motorsports. Hmmm…I wonder if there is a ride opening up there sometime soon?
johnmilner.ca 