TALLADEGA, Ala. – Noah Gragson was the eye of the storm on the final lap of the 2024 GEICO 500.
As his Ford Performance counterparts of Michael McDowell and Brad Keselowski weaved through the trioval coming to the checkered flag, contact sent McDowell crashing and collecting much of the field trailing behind. Yet, Gragson sliced through the gap to finish third, earning his best career NASCAR Cup Series result across 49 starts.
“It feels good trying to get a Ford Mustang in Victory Lane,” smiled the Las Vegas native after his podium result. “I really wanted it to be us, but you know, seeing Keselowski and McDowell coming off of Turn 4 there at the end and coming to the checkered, they started blocking each other up and down the racetrack, trying to get side by side and I thought we were going to squeak through there, but unfortunately had to check up too much.
“Awesome job by the Overstock team all day with Stewart Haas Racing, Drew Blickensderfer (crew chief) and especially my spotter Andy Houston. They did a great job all day. The pit crew (had) fast pit stops, led some laps, it’s just good to have these days. I don’t have too much experience in the Cup series racing on these superspeedways and racing up front, but today is definitely a lot of momentum and a lot of experience learned.”
Gragson’s focus during his sophomore season has solely been about learning. Working with Keselowski, a six-time winner at Talladega Superspeedway, gave Gragson the extra knowledge he needed to have a chance at the end. Even though the two finished one spot shy of the win, it was still all about improving and respect.
“It’s pretty cool talking to Keselowski after the race,” Gragson continued, after earning his first top five finish since Daytona in 2022. “He is pretty appreciative of the pushes I was giving him and trying to help him out, so just trying to gain respect out here. Appreciate all the fans. It’s been a fun weekend in Talladega.”
After leading five laps, it was still a positive day for the No. 10 Overstock Ford Mustang group from the Stewart Haas Racing stable. They jump a couple spots in the championship standings and shift focus to the concrete 1-mile oval at Dover Motor Speedway next weekend.