Noah Gragson has finally returned to NASCAR’s premier competition. On Wednesday, Tony Stewart-owned Stewart Haas Racing announced that Gragson would replace Aric Almirola in the No. 10 Ford Mustang for the 2024 Cup season in a multi-year deal. A few months ago, NASCAR authorities suspended him after he liked an inappropriate meme on social media. Due to this, Noah Gragson had to undergo diversity and sensitivity training organized by the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality.

Since the incident, the 25-year-old has been through a lot of introspection and improvement. One of his fellow Cup Series drivers who has helped him remodel his career is the Cup Series’ only driver of color, Bubba Wallace. Wallace has been a pioneer for equality and led the battle against hate in the sport after being a victim of it multiple times in the past.

Bubba Wallace advised Noah Gragson to make the best use of his revival in the Cup Series

When reports of Noah Gragson’s activity surfaced, the NASCAR community was left in a state of shock. While some questioned the legitimacy of it, many others criticized it, and rightfully so. Cup Series drivers are famous personalities, viewed and supported by millions of fans. Any action from them is open to criticism and can set a bad example. 2021 champion Kyle Larson almost got his career derailed due to his involvement in the use of a racial slur in 2020.

Taking note of Larson’s indecency, Noah Gragson quickly understood that he had been ignorant about his actions. To understand more about what would help him with his rebound to the Cup Series, he turned to Bubba Wallace for help, and Bubba reciprocated. Revealing their conversation to FOX Sports journalist Bob Pockrass, the 23XI Racing driver said, “I told him, I’m like, ‘Man, this is your time right now to reflect, grow up, and that things can change in a matter of seconds, obviously, and so utilize this moment, learn from it, and show up and be better.“

Bubba Wallace also revealed that Noah Gragson had undergone a change of heart and seemed like he wanted to improve. While Gragson’s actions will speak louder than his words, Wallace has faith in him.

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“I took it as he was genuinely wanting to be a better person. And so I hope that’s true. And we’ll see what happens. Everybody makes mistakes, and, Noah, just from his voice and kind of the passion behind what he was saying — it sounded genuine. We’ll find out,” claimed Bubba Wallace. Speaking to the media personnel in a press conference at his announcement, Noah Gragson shed light on the challenge behind the scenes and how NASCAR can sometimes be a lonely sport.

Gragson talks about his personal growth during the four-month hiatus

As a part of the RISE program that guided Noah Gragson through his journey of self-improvement, he visited several civil rights museums, started reading books to know himself better, and, most importantly, understood his mistake.

One of the many things he pointed out was the quality of the social media content he was consuming and his ignorance towards it. Social media platforms have often been hubs of divisive and controversial content, and Gragson believes that he had ‘garbage‘ on his social media feeds earlier.

“I had a lot of garbage on my feed.” said the former Legacy Motor Club driver. “I was careless when I first got on social media and accept friend requests from different people. And all of a sudden, you’re friends with people you don’t even know on there, and you just got garbage on your feed, right?

The suspension brought forth a dark period for Noah Gragson. Despite being a contender for the Rookie of the Year award last season, he gave it all away in a second. What followed was loneliness and the arduous task of reviving his reputation.

“It was a lot of lonely time. Challenging moments. But I felt like those moments have pushed me to become better. With my psychologist, [it’s] we either win, or we learn. And I don’t think spending time in the dark by yourself is a winning moment. But it’s an opportunity to learn about yourself and think and really use your mind.”

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As for his move to Stewart-Haas Racing, the move makes a lot of sense. SHR has struggled in the past few seasons and wants fresh air in the team through race wins. With Noah Gragson and his squad aiming for a redemption arc, it would be interesting to see how this pans out.