Legacy Motor Club said Saturday that Noah Gragson had been suspended for Sunday’s race at Michigan for “actions that do not represent the values of our team.”
Gragson will be replaced by Josh Berry in the No. 42 car for Sunday’s race. Berry, who will replace Kevin Harvick at Stewart-Haas Racing in 2024, succeeded Gragson in the No. 9 Xfinity Series car at JR Motorsports when Gragson moved up to the Cup Series in 2023.
Gragson, 25, posted an apology to social media shortly after his suspension.
“I am disappointed in myself for my lack of attention and actions on social media,” Gragson wrote. “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.”
Not long after Gragson’s apology, NASCAR also announced that it had suspended Gragson indefinitely for “actions on social media.”
According to a screenshot from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Gragson allegedly liked an Instagram meme mocking the 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Gragson is currently a rookie in NASCAR’s Cup Series and in the midst of a disappointing season. He’s 33rd in the points standings and has an average finish of 28.2. Only Ty Dillon (28.6) has a worse average finish among all full-time drivers.
Gragson’s best finish of the season is a 12th at Atlanta in the spring. It’s one of two times he’s finished in the top 20 through the first 22 races of the season.
Gragson’s poor form through his first season in the Cup Series has reportedly brought his future at Legacy Motor Club into question before his suspension. According to a report in the Athletic on Tuesday, Gragson is at risk of losing his ride with the team at the end of the season.
Legacy Motor Club, the former Richard Petty Motorsports team, is moving to Toyota in 2024. While the Athletic report noted Gragson still had a chance of returning to the team, a suspension certainly doesn’t help those chances.
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