NASCAR CUP SERIES: NASCAR ALL-STAR OPEN

May 18, 2025

Noah Gragson

Pit Lane Interview

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Q. What do you have to say to your fans that absolutely love you and make sure you are in the main event?

NOAH GRAGSON: Well, you guys are the GOATs! It's awesome to be a part of this All-Star Race.

I feel like we have a pretty good car. We struggled yesterday really hard in practice. Qualified well. The pit crew did an unbelievable job, but really struggled with the balance. Thank God for open race power, because I feel like we got the balance pretty good.

But we ran into power steering issues. Hopefully we get that cleaned up for the race. But the car actually feels pretty fast. The last two years I've drove the s--- out of my car, and now I was like, man, we're in the top 5 of the fan vote, the car feels good, we've got a little bit of power steering issues, but man, you fans, you guys are the GOATs. It truly means the world to have the support from the fans and very grateful to be a part of this race.

Q. You've won it, this is the third year in a row. What do you think has been able to make your fans be so passionate? How do you work that? I know we talk about the vote before the race, but that's an all-year-long thing. What do you think you've done to make fans resonate with you?

NOAH GRAGSON: I just try to be myself at the end of the day and I probably have a bolder personality than most guys, but they don't really show any personality, you know. A lot of these guys in the Cup Series, if not all of them, they're all really cool guys.

Just I don't know why they don't show it. But very grateful to have the fan support. At the end of the day I just try to be me. I don't know when my last day on earth is going to be, but if today is the day, I'm going to have as much fun as possible. I'm going to out-fun everybody.

Q. Noah, this is the second year on this asphalt. Goodyear has brought the softest tire that they can make. One observation: this racetrack has widened out. It looks like to me it just binds up there on the bottom. You want to be up there in that second or third groove.

NOAH GRAGSON: It does. It is actually pretty racey compared to last year. I feel like the groove is pretty wide. It rubbers up in Turns 3 and 4. There is like a -- when we run our right sides, if you run the bottom, it's like rubbering up and the rubber is stacking.

You have to be really methodical if you run the bottom and get your left sides on the line. If you over-slip it by an inch, you've got your right sides in that stacked up rubber, you get really tight.

So the best place to pass somebody is by trying to get to their right rear and getting the momentum off the corner, but it's just a tough, challenging racetrack. This is a really, really hard racetrack, even with the new asphalt.

You're kind of on the razor's edge. With the soft tires it's a handful, that's for sure. I expect some good racing tonight, guys beating and banging. We just saw an insane race. I had good view of those guys tearing each other up and banging. There was fireworks flying all over the racetrack.

Nonetheless, it's a fun racetrack.

Q. We see the leader choose the outside here almost every single time, but you're still vulnerable of getting used up as you get down into Turn 1. If you start on the front row, do you take that outside and why?

NOAH GRAGSON: Well, I just think you can control the momentum and you have a greater chance to make it off Turn 2. That's if the guy, like you said, doesn't use you up. Probably at the beginning of the race you are going to see the guys take the bottom quite a bit. But at the end of the race, green-white-checkered, it's going to be Hail Mary time. I think the gloves are off. We're going for a million bucks.

Q. What would you do out there for a million bucks? What are you willing to risk?

NOAH GRAGSON: Wreck them all. Nah. I try to race as clean as possible and try to get to the front and pass the guys. But like I said, if it's a green-white-checkered finish, you're going to try and use the guy up as much as possible. You still want to be respectful and not absolutely junk them, but you want to be respectful, race hard. But a little rubbing, that never hurt anybody.

Q. We appreciate your time as always, Noah Gragson. Good luck out there and get that car fixed up.

NOAH GRAGSON: Thank you. Fans, like I said, you guys are the GOATs. I hope if you're watching, you're drinking some beers, having some fun with your friends and family, and we're going to put on one hell of a show, baby. Cheers.