Noah Gragson lost brakes at WWT Raceway
On lap 197 at WWT Raceway, Noah Gragson lost brakes into turn one. As the rotor exploded, he turned hard left and attempted to lessen the impact.
Watch the Noah Gragson crash video below.
Instead, Gragson went sliding backwards through the grass and slammed the outside wall. The driver was checked and released from the infield care center.
Gragson was one of many drivers to suffer brake failures. In all those situations, it was the result of an exploded rotor.
Days after the crash, Gragson began to suffer from concussion-like symptoms.
The team has elected to pull Gragson from the machine. Instead, Grant Enfinger will pilot the No. 42 machine.
“Noah’s health is the highest of priorities and we commend him for making the decision to sit out this weekend,” said team co-owners Maury Gallagher and Jimmie Johnson. “We are appreciative that Grant was available and willing to step in since the Truck Series is off this weekend.”
Last season, Kurt Busch backed his car into the wall at Pocono Raceway. He suffered concussion symptoms and has since retired from full-time NASCAR Cup Series race.
In the off-season, NASCAR made significant improvements to the Next-Gen car. They removed several bars, adding crush, specifically for rear-end impacts.
Noah Gragson comments after crash
“It was a hard-ass hit, for sure,” Gragson opened to Fox Sports after exiting the care center.
“I went to hit the brakes into 1. Car sat down and blew the left front brake rotor (I think).”
“At that point, you’re like, ‘Shit, what do I do?’ “
“I tried to hook it through the infield. I’ve seen guys do it at Pocono. Once I went through the infield, I realized that’s the wrong thing to do.”
“But, it’s that or go head on into the fence. I tried to scrub a little bit of speed.”
“Counting down the days ’til this off-season.”
Grant Enfinger
“My thoughts are with Noah, I know how much he loves this team and the guys on it,” said Enfinger. “I’m happy to help out LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and the No. 42 team.”
WWT Raceway Results: June 4, 2023 (NASCAR Cup Series)
