CONCORD, N.C. -- Riding around shirtless in a miniature military jeep is not the standard pre-race procedure for NASCAR Cup Series drivers. Noah Gragson is not the normal driver, which is perfectly fine with Front Row Motorsports.
They are happy to let his personality shine, even if it involves wearing a custom Collin Morikawa shirt at the track to celebrate Masters Sunday.
I see that @NoahGragson knows the best way to dress for #Masters Sunday. pic.twitter.com/7IVCHV33Cz
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) April 13, 2025
"It's been a fun year," Gragson told AltDriver Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "FRM lets me be me at the end of the day, and I just try to be me and live every day like it's my last."
A quick glance through Gragson's Instagram profile shows that these are not just hollow words; he is truly making the most of his time on earth, whether he's hanging out with Bert Kreischer or fueling his LEGO addiction.
He's out jumping the Ford F-150 Lightning Switchgear. He's hanging out with Travis Pastrana and racing UTVs through the woods of Maryland. He's learning how to pull off a dirt bike backflip into a foam pit.
Even when he's not chasing an adrenaline rush, Gragson is out living his best life. He's golfing or fishing all around the country. He's getting behind-the-scenes access at other racing series. He's ripping around town in a Mini pickup truck with bullhorns on the front.
2 peas in a pod@NoahGragson | @bertkreischer pic.twitter.com/XUm6QNP6yv
— Front Row Motorsports (@Team_FRM) May 25, 2025
Of course, this doesn't mean that Gragson isn't putting in the work to get better at big-time stock car racing. He's still doing his film study, and he's putting in effort behind the scenes with the No. 4 team to score more consistent finishes.
He just knows the importance of relieving the stress of racing in NASCAR.
"When you have good speed on the race track and you have a good team, you have a good group of people you work with, it takes a lot of the pressure off as a driver," Gragson continued. "Now, we go to the race track wanting to win every single race, and we prepare for that throughout the week.
"But at the end of the day, if you can't get away from racing a little bit and set things aside and just go enjoy life, you're going to be miserable."
This season is an example of how Gragson could get caught up in the stresses of Cup Series racing due to the mix of successes and struggles.
He has delivered top-10 finishes at Circuit of the Americas and Charlotte Motor Speedway. He scored a top-five at Talladega Superspeedway. He has run well at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Kansas Speedway.
He has also been involved in crashes at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which dropped his average finish to 21.2. He has only scored eight stage points, which has dropped him in the standings.
Compare this season to Gragson's time in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports. He had consistently fast cars, and he drove for a team that let him show off his personality with bullhorns on his car and swagger reminiscent of Tim Richmond.
Yes, he stumbled at times with some ill-advised post-race comments and aggressive moves on the race track, but he also scored 13 wins in three seasons and reached the Championship 4 twice.
The Cup Series is another level of competition, and Front Row Motorsports is not yet in a place where all three cars can consistently contend for top-10s, top-fives, or even wins. The organization is still growing after expanding this past offseason.
But when the No. 4 team hits the right setup, as it did during the Coca-Cola 600, Gragson can put himself in a position for a strong finish. He can still deliver a top-10 finish after recovering from a mistake on pit road.
He can also do so mere hours after cruising the infield campground shirtless in a mini-jeep while delivering brisket to race fans.
"I enjoy the people I work with," Gragson said. "We have fun off the race track. And then we also have fun on the race track when we have speed."