NASCAR driver Noah Gragson experienced a disappointing early exit from the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday, June 1, after a collision ended his race prematurely. The Nevada native expressed his frustration following the incident that eliminated his chances of a strong finish during the event.
The race saw multiple crashes, including one involving Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who was forcefully hit by Carson Hocevar at Turn 3 and subsequently crashed into the SAFER barrier, forcing him to retire to the garage. On lap 113, Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman collided with Gragson’s #4 Ford when Bowman misjudged a corner while driving on the inside line. This contact caused significant damage to both drivers‘ cars, ending Gragson’s race early.
Reflecting on the incident, Gragson shared his perspective on the crash and his disappointment with Bowman’s move.
“I gave him like a whole two lanes off the bottom, he just merks me in the left rear, just annihilated us. I don’t get it, it just just sucks. It’s super early in the race. That was a hard hit, like tough. It’s kind of been the story of our year so far,” he said via Frontstretch [00:41 onwards]. —Noah Gragson, NASCAR Driver
Despite the setback, Gragson acknowledged the hard work of his team, Front Row Motorsports, emphasizing their steady progress throughout the season. However, he returned to his frustration over the crash and the damage it caused to his car.
“We’ve been building good cars. We ran good at Charlotte and felt like we’d had good speed at some of these tracks. Just need to get on a consistent basis, but still super proud of everybody at Front Row Motorsports. Just sucks to get annihilated in the left rear like that when I gave them a bunch of room and uh, I don’t get that,” Noah Gragson added. —Noah Gragson, NASCAR Driver
At 26 years old, Gragson has managed two top-10 finishes so far in his 2025 campaign, with his best result being a fourth-place finish at Talladega. His season has been marred by three DNFs, and he currently sits 31st in the driver standings with 214 points.
Discussion on Power Adjustments in Cup Series Cars
NASCAR is reportedly reviewing the horsepower limits on Cup Series cars, amid ongoing criticism from some drivers. Veteran racer Kyle Busch recently suggested that the Xfinity Series, with its power setup, offers a superior racing experience compared to the Cup cars. This has sparked conversations about increasing horsepower, particularly for certain types of tracks.
Noah Gragson’s crew chief, Drew Blickensderfer, voiced his support for adding more horsepower to the NextGen vehicles, emphasizing confidence in the Ford engines provided by Doug Yates and his team.
“I’m a big fan of more horsepower, especially when I know I’m in a Ford and I’ve got Doug Yates behind me. I know he’s gonna give us everything, so it’s never gonna hurt me, the more horsepower you give us so I’m a fan of that, especially beyond the shortcuts,” Blickensderfer said [00:44 onwards]. —Drew Blickensderfer, Crew Chief
Reports indicate that any horsepower increase would likely be targeted at short track racing and road course events, where enhanced engine power could improve performance and competitiveness.
