By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Putting in a gallant effort to end his tenor with Kyle Busch Motorsports, Noah Gragson came home second in the 2018 Camping World Truck Series championship fight.
Finishing third in Friday night’s Ford EcoBoost 200 from Homestead-Miami Speedway, Gragson was far behind race leader Brett Moffitt, who swept the race and title more than five seconds up the track.
For Gragson, the result was a bitter disappointment, especially following a suspected tire issue late in the going.
“Three laps before we came to pit road, I thought I was getting a left front flat,” Gragson said. “I wasn’t really sure. I think I over-blitzed it and we were driving off the front tires. The difference was the adjustments on pit road.”
Leading 34 laps in his No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports, Gragson said Friday night was among the highlights in his second and final season with the Toyota team.
“This is one of the best races we ran,” he said. “Though we didn’t win, I think Toyota got the manufacturers championship, that’s a definite plus. Going out of a Toyota for next year, that was my goal.”
With one win and eight top fives in 2018 (double of his top fives in 2017) Gragson had a blast racing for a championship for Kyle Busch.
“Mostly, I learned a lot,” he said. “The KBM guys brought me a hell of a Safelite Toyota out here. I’m very fortunate to have raced for a championship, trying to soak it all in. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m really fortunate and thankful.”
Jumping to JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series in 2019, Gragson has plenty to take with him to the new series.
“We have to move on and keep learning,” he said. “From the chassis shop to the fab shop, everyone who helped through my career — Just because I’m moving on next year it doesn’t mean I’m not going to talk to everyone at KBM.”