Stewart-Haas Racing has been facing a downward trend since 2020, and the team’s co-owner Tony Stewart is still grappling with the reasons behind it. However, 2024 started with promise for the team that had to deal with major driver and sponsor exits last season, and it seemed like SHR star Noah Gragson was well on track after his promising finishes. However, a penalty changed the course of events, leaving fans disappointed with Gragson’s uncertain future. The setback aside, Gragson still looks like a promising talent capable of yielding results. But will he be able to? Well, according to Dale Earnhardt Jr, not really. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr thinks Noah Gragson’s inexperience is gonna show soon

With the exception of his first two races at Daytona and the Busch Light Clash, Noah Gragson got off to a solid start in the 2024 Cup Series, finishing in the top ten twice. Gragson’s performance started to indicate that he has the potential to be SHR’s top driver this season. Unfortunately, he lost a massive 35 points at Atlanta Motor Speedway due to a NASCAR penalty for using non-conforming air deflectors, putting him in 26th position overall.

Dale Earnhardt Jr voiced his fear that the difficulties faced by Stewart-Haas Racing might potentially have an effect on their drivers, particularly Gragson. There is no doubt, at 25, Gragson still has room to grow, but occasional team mishaps, despite Tony Stewart’s efforts, are causing him to pay a hefty price. Earnhardt said,  “I think that Stewart-Haas has improved. I love that Tony Stewart, you know, got in there this off season and said, ‘Hey, we don’t want to run this way. We wanna be better’. I love that and I think they will get better. They’re not all the way, right? And I think some of that’s gonna affect Noah, some of his inexperience ultimately will, will affect results.”

Since Kevin Harvick‘s departure in 2023, Stewart-Haas Racing has gone through a number of changes. Although the team has had problems in the past and continues to face similar challenges, the future looks bright for the No. 10 Ford driver this year under Tony Stewart’s supervision. Unfortunately, now a 35-point penalty has dealt him a serious setback. However, this isn’t the first time Gragson has been trapped with NASCAR penalties; he was previously penalized 30 points for an intentional crash.

Noah Gragson was once fined 30 points for an intentional clash 

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Following four fruitful Xfinity seasons (2019–2022), Noah Gragson embarked on a full-time Cup Series career in 2023. Despite his consistent performance in the Xfinity series, he was not out of NASCAR fining policies. In his last Xfinity season, he faced a setback with a 30-point penalty due to an incident involving current Xfinity racer Sage Karam.

When Gragson and Karam collided at Road America, it was in the heat of a battle for position. Gragson was mad about how rough the race was, so he purposefully hit Karam’s car on a straightaway which tossed both of their cars. Although Gragson got away with only minor damage, Karam’s car hit the wall, causing a 13-car hectic crash.

Later on, NASCAR fined Gragson $35,000 and docked him 30 points for his intentional act, even though he didn’t get any penalties during the race itself. As the collision was intentional, Gragson had no recourse to regain the lost points. However, that didn’t deter the then 23-year-old driver who ultimately finished the season second in the drivers’ standings. Perhaps he can replicate the same this year too despite the penalty. What do you think?

Dale Earnhardt Jr Sends Out a Warning for Noah Gragson as He Does the Unthinkable at Stewart Haas Racing