2023 was not a year to remember for Noah Gragson. He was suspended from NASCAR in the wake of a controversial social media meme. Now that he is past those mistakes and rebuilding from scratch, Gragson understands those implications much better. To avoid any such situations further, he is now ready to give up his social life in favor of peace and less gossip.

Noah Gragson has learned his social media lesson

Back then, Gragson was really active on his social media profile. However, after he was found liking an insensitive post about George Floyd’s death, everything went spiraling down in his life. On 12 Questions by Jeff Gluck, Gragson revealed the hidden feelings from that phase of his life.

“On the social media side, they’ve really put a muzzle on me. I know there’s been controversy, but I don’t show people my behind-the-scenes life anymore. They’ve lost that privilege. Now I let other people control my social media for the most part.

“I don’t even touch it for the most part, because it takes one to ruin it for everyone. Now I say that, and I’ve made mistakes on social media too. I’m not just pointing the finger at other people. But there’s always going to be somebody that’s mad at you for something.”

It is quite clear that Gragson is too afraid of getting active on social media again. He knows actions dictate everything on social media. All it takes is one person to turn a harmless post or word into a big gossip.

“You could post a picture of me hunting, and 99 people comment on it, and they’re happy about it, and one person claps at me. Then they get mad and they send emails and stuff because I’m hunting, and it gets back to the shop and the team. It takes one person to ruin it for everyone.”

Now that he understands the implications of the same, Gragson is ready to accept that his life is better when kept under wraps. In a recent interview for NASCAR Speed, he had a rare moment of emotion while talking about his father and racing career.

Other than that, Noah Gragson has hardly been the same in front of the public. He chooses to stay silent and lets his PR team control his social media. Once he experienced the good and bad of it, Gragson decided that it was better to accept peace in staying off of social media.

“I’ve seen that a little bit in my career. I’ve found a lot of happiness in my life when I stopped worrying about others and just worried about myself. When you solely give a s— about yourself and what you can control, things get a lot better.”

What happened to Noah Gragson in 2023?

Noah Gragson’s entire reputation was online after the controversial post he liked. He seemingly reacted to an insensitive meme about George Floyd’s death. It was a controversial jab at his death and the protests surrounding the same. As soon as Gragson realized the gravity of the same, he issued an immediate apology-

“I am disappointed in myself for my lack of attention and actions on social media. I understand the severity of this situation. I love and appreciate everyone. I try to treat everyone equally, no matter who they are. I messed up, plain and simple.”

But the harm was already done in this case. The public was furious at him for making fun of such a serious situation. As a result, his then team, Legacy Motor Club, decided to suspend him indefinitely even though he was due to race that weekend.

NASCAR would also react to his actions, reprimanding him. “NASCAR fully supports Legacy Motor Club’s decision to suspend Noah Gragson. Following his actions on social media, NASCAR has determined that Gragson has violated the Member Conduct section of the 2023 NASCAR Rule Book and has placed him under indefinite suspension.”

After five weeks of suspension, Gragson was finally allowed to race again in the sport. According to a NASCAR spokesperson, “Noah Gragson has completed diversity and inclusion training with our partners at RISE.” It was the final criterion for his approval to race again.