Noah Gragson after his fourth-straight XFinity Series win. (Screengrab from Bob Pockrass on Twitter.) Noah Gragson after his fourth-straight XFinity Series win. (Screengrab from Bob Pockrass on Twitter.)
RacingBy Stacey Mickles on

Legacy Motor Club and NASCAR made huge announcements Saturday when they decided to suspend driver Noah Gragson for liking a meme of George Floyd on Instagram.

Gragson has been suspended indefinitely and no timetable has been set for his return. For now, Josh Berry will be taking over the No. 42 car in the Cup Series.

The team initially made the decision to suspend Gragson. NASCAR itself then weighed in with a statement that they’d suspended Gragson indefinitely. And Gragson released his own statement admitting his wrongdoing in this situation.

“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 every one. I try to treat everyone equally no matter who they are. I messed up plain and simple.”
Gragson isn’t the first NASCAR driver suspended for racially insensitive comments or actions.
Just three years ago, Kyle Larson was suspended and then fired by his team for using the “N” word while streaming a virtual race. While Larson also apologized and returned to the Cup Series the following year with a different team, many people still haven’t forgotten or forgiven his actions.
NASCAR has had an image problem for years that they are still fighting to this day. And while drivers like Bubba Wallace have brought more minority fans to the sport, Wallace is one of the most disliked drivers on the Cup Series circuit.
NASCAR fans had their say about Gragson’s suspension. And as expected, the commentary was mixed.

As you can see, opinions varied on the subject.

[Noah Gragson on Twitter]

About Stacey Mickles

Stacey is a 1995 graduate of the University of Alabama who has previously worked for other publications such as Sportskeeda and Saturday Down South.

View all posts by Stacey Mickles