By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
After such a season of speed, stage wins and dominance, Noah Gragson is going to the Championship 4 next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway for his first shot at a Camping World Truck Series title.
However, the season finale for Kyle Busch Motorsports’ No. 18 team will be contested with a driver who scored just one win across the 22 races in 2018. That nearly changed Friday night at ISM Raceway when the pole-sitter was in the heated battle for the race win on the final restart.
“I just got run up the hill in Turns 1,2 on the restart,” Gragson said. “Just hard racing, honestly. Beating and banging, that’s what’s ISM Raceway is all about.”
Leading 43 laps on the night, himself and KBM teammate Harrison Burton combined to lead more than half the race (89 of 150 laps). However, neither ended in Victory Lane. Again.
A second-place finish and spot in Homestead kept Gragson happy, however, disappointed.
“The main focus was to get next week,” he said. “Obviously, I wanted this win. We led a lot of laps early, I slid through my pit box and had to restart in the rear. A mistake on my part.
“Just a heartbreak. I thought we had it. We had that caution and it is what it is. I’ll take second.”
Jumping to JR Motorsports and the XFINITY Series in 2019, Gragson will relish in his last shot at a Truck Series crown.
“I’m going to the next round and that’s what we came here to do. Man, I am so thankful,” he said.
Respect.@NoahGragson | @GrantEnfinger pic.twitter.com/Ol5PlLizba
— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) November 10, 2018