Stewart-Haas Racing was off to a rough start, to say the least. First, Ryan Preece and Noah Gragson hadn’t even revved their engines on the track, and they got slapped with penalties for their cars’ roof rail deflectors, which were a no-go. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, bang! An early crash on the second lap of the Ambetter Health 400 roped in a bunch of cars, SHR’s ride included. Talk about a series of unfortunate events!

Despite a tough break, Noah Gragson isn’t losing faith in his crew

Right out of the gate at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a 14-car pileup on the second lap threw a monkey wrench into Gragson’s dreams of victory or, at the very least, racking up some solid points just the way he did in Daytona by finishing P9.

On lap 2, the pack tightened up on the front stretch, and that’s what sent cars into a tailspin left, right, and center. Austin Dillon’s #3 Chevy kicked off the chaos, sliding out. And then it was a domino effect, with Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Noah Gragson, and a host of others getting caught up in the mess. The crash also swept up Kaulig Racing’s Josh Williams and Daniel Hemric, along with RWR’s Justin Haley. Williams had to bow out early, and Bell, fresh from his top-4 finish last year, also had to duck out after a restart.

But it was the SHR team’s Noah Gragson who caught everyone’s attention for not being able to score anything this time around. In a post-race chat with Matt Weaver, #10 couldn’t hide his disappointment, calling the whole ordeal a real downer. He recounted the crash, saying, “They started stacking up on the top and I thought we were gonna miss the 3 and then got tagged in the right-rear by someone. I just got hit from behind and the car was pretty torn up. We tried to keep it going, but then the rack started falling out of it, so we started losing steering and had to bring it in.”

Yet, it looks like Gragson’s not throwing in the towel. He’s damn optimistic about bouncing back in Vegas, praising his team’s resilience. “It’s just a bummer, but we’re gonna go to Vegas and rebound. There’s a lot of fight in these guys with the Ranger Boat team. This 10 group is really tight together and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”

Apparently, when Weaver pressed about the sting of not scoring any points, unlike his top-10 finish in Daytona, Gragson didn’t sugarcoat it either. “It still sucks not being able to collect points. We were looking to have a good day and to only really get one lap in at speed and then we’re limping around with a wrecked race car for the next 60-80 laps, so that was a bummer. Overall, I’m just really grateful. This kind of hurts us in the points.”

#10 acknowledged the uphill battle in the points race, emphasizing the need to stay focused and work hard, despite the setbacks. And with the level of confidence he has for the Las Vegas race, it might be the one where he can emerge victorious.

Las Vegas might just roll out the red carpet for #10’s first big win

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Rewind to 2023, Gragson’s first Cup Series whirl at Las Vegas with the Legacy Motor Club had him crossing the finish line at P30 after 269 laps. But don’t let that fool you into thinking he’s not sharp on that track. However, during his Xfinity days, Gragson had been pretty much on fire with an average finish of 3.4 across eight starts with JR Motorsports.

Plus, he nailed top-5 finishes in seven of those races and even snagged a top-10 in the other. Clearly, Gragson knows his way around Las Vegas like the back of his hand, though he might need to get a better grip on handling the next-gen car.

Also adding to the fact that Gragson didn’t pocket any points this time at Atlanta, there’s a bit of a cloud hanging over his car because of the roof rail deflectors. NASCAR’s rule book, under section 14.5.6.1, spells out that these parts need to be painted, set up straight in line with the slots on the greenhouse and roof flaps, and can’t mess with the roof flaps doing their job. They’ve also got to stick to a spec of 0.05-inch thick aluminum rail.

“Not of Our Own Doing”- Noah Gragson Refuses to Call Out Kyle Busch as He Unfurls Daytona 500 Frustration

So far, NASCAR’s kept mum on why they snagged those parts off Gragson’s car and they’re holding off on dishing out any penalties until next week. Fingers crossed, it’s nothing too serious.