Despite a dismal season with Legacy Motor Club that saw his Cup Series aspirations going down in flames after he was ousted courtesy of his social media activity, Noah Gragson has got the perfect start to his 2024 season at Stewart-Haas Racing. While a hefty penalty has caused him some trouble, the #10 Ford’s performance has been outstanding, even outperforming his experienced teammates.

Reflecting on this, Dale Earnhardt Jr couldn’t help but notice the stellar comeback of the 25-year-old. Speaking on his podcast, Junior mentioned how his former JRM driver, who is infamous for ruffling the feathers, has climbed the Cup Series ranks by driving modestly and racing respectfully.

The 49-year-old veteran also warned the young driver of the “veteran thing” in the Cup Series, asking him to be wary of the consequences of racing with the elite drivers at the top of the game and constantly being there at the top like a fly in the milk.

Dale Earnhardt Jr gets blown away by Noah Gragson’s stellar comeback

Out of his four past races, Noah Gragson has gotten in two top-10 finishes, led five laps, and had an average finish rate of 15.75 despite being caught up in a wreck at Atlanta. First, he opened the season on a high note, boosting the morale of the downtrodden SHR team with a well-placed P9 finish at the 2.5-mile speedway in Daytona, then he snagged his second top-10 finish, coming home sixth at Las Vegas. This, in fact, is a stark contrast with his 2023 performance, where he failed to rack up even one top-10 finish.

Now, looking at these numbers, one cannot ignore the driver’s bump in performance, and so couldn’t his former boss, Dale Jr. He said, “Noah’s been the shining light, the best-performing car by far in my opinion. I know that, uh, Briscoe outran him in the final result, but Noah has been, you know, his average running position throughout these races has been really good.”

Stating the competitiveness and fury he brings to the track, Junior also mentioned his gutsy attitude, something we saw last year when he stood up to Ross Chastain, throwing in a punch, only to get right hooked by the Trackhouse Racing star. “He ruffles you; he can aggravate you; ruffle your feather; he’s going to use you up a little bit; take advantage of you on the race track; that’s his style; that’s fine, but when you get in the Cup Series, you got to be a little measured about doing that with the Cup guys; they love to set a rookie straight; I know, he’s not a rookie anymore, but they love to set the young guy; they can’t wait to teach them a lesson; they think that’s the veteran thing, right?” 

Being a veteran of the sport who has been there at the top, Dale Jr certainly knows the etiquette and culture of the top-tier faction and warns the driver to be wary of the competition. Dale Jr then went on to shower more praise on Gragson, mentioning how successful he has been without causing a riot.

“Races the hell out of them”—Dale Jr sings high praise about Gragson 

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The truth of the matter is, while everybody wanted the former Cup Seris rookie to get back on form, nobody expected him to do that because he joined the struggling SHR camp. However, the youngster has shattered all expectations, outperforming his teammates to build a reputation for himself, earning the respect of veterans like Dale Jr and several others in the process.

While Junior said, Noah Gragson is more like a fly that just won’t leave you, always up amongst the top drivers, he couldn’t help but state the obvious. “He has been doing it so well, and so respectfully, yes, he races the hell out of them, you have to that’s new the etiquette across the board in the Series.” He further added, “I watch him run laps in the past several weeks and while he is hassling all these guys in the out backside of the top 10, he’s doing it without getting under their skin which is really really important and so he’s gaining respect and he’s gaining the ability to belong in that top 10, right?”

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Concluding his take on the #10 driver, Dale Jr added, “So, he won’t be that fly that they are trying to shoo away and so, I’m hoping that this continues and what story it would be if he can have this type of success throughout the year.” What do you think about Gragson’s performance this year? Let us know your thoughts.