Noah Gragson and NASCAR team Legacy Motor Club part ways

The team says Gragson “requested to be released from his contract.”

On August 5th, the NASCAR Cup Series rookie was indefinitely suspended from LMC and then later by NASCAR as well.

This was in response to an Instagram post that Gragson liked, which appeared to mock the 2020 murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.

The 25-year-old immediately apologized for his actions, posting the following statement: “I am disappointed in myself for my lack of attention and actions on social media. 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.”

Gragson has 13 NASCAR Xfinity Series victories, ending the 2022 season as the championship runner-up before joining LMC for his first full-time Cup season. 2023 was a struggle for the young driver, posting just two top-20s with a best finish of 12th. 

Before being suspended, he had already missed one race after suffering concussion-like symptoms due to a crash at Gateway.

Gragson to follow NASCAR’s reinstatement process

Gragson released the following statement on Thursday, indicating that he plans to follow the reinstatement process and return to NASCAR at some point:

“I have asked Legacy Motor Club to release me from my contract so that I can take time to work through the NASCAR reinstatement process. I love racing, and I am looking forward to a second chance to compete for wins at the highest level of NASCAR – and most importantly, make my family, my team and the fans proud of me once again.”

Added Cal Wells III, who was recently appointed CEO of the team: “Noah has a ton of talent and has a great personality. This is a difficult situation, but we are proud that Noah has taken ownership of his actions and are confident he will work through this process with NASCAR and come back stronger.”

LMC put Josh Berry in the No. 42 Chevrolet last weekend at Michigan, and has signed Mike Rockenfeller for the next two road course races.