26-year-old Noah Gragson earned his Cup Series ride by climbing the ladders of the Truck Series and the Xfinity Series. Among the great many races that decorate his successful time in the feeder programs are his Martinsville visits. His expertise on the short track is reflected by victories and several top-10 finishes. But how was he so good there when even seasoned drivers struggled?
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He revealed in a recent interview that it was a lesson that he learned from Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson that helped him. He said, “I watched Kyle Larson when he ran a Truck there. Was in a GMS Truck. Maybe the 24 Truck in 2016. I watched his line around there and how he moved around the racetrack. I utilized that when I first went there.”
Larson had finished the race that Gragson mentioned in fourth place. Watching and learning the trick, the youngster finished fourth and first in his first two Truck Series races at the track in 2017.
He further developed more processes to go around the corners as time went on and perfected his mastery. In a combined nine starts – in the Truck Series and the Xfinity Series — he has two wins and eight top-10 finishes.
He continued to note, “I feel like there are four or five, maybe six different ways you can run a corner at Martinsville in Xfinity and Trucks and with the old Cup cars.” The Next Gen car, however, presents a different story. “You used to have to mount a run, but now you just downshift, so I’m trying to figure that out, but I used to be really good there,” he added.
How good is Kyle Larson in Martinsville now?
The No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro driver is not in a safe position going to the short track. He sits seven points below the elimination line and has a real risk of not making it to the Championship 4 race in Phoenix. A completely dominant season with six wins would come to be of no use if he fails to perform this Sunday in Martinsville.
Thankfully, he has been extremely good there in recent times. He has four top-10s, three top-5s, and one win in the last five races. His most recent victory came in April 2023. Larson finished the 2023 Xfinity 500 in sixth place. However, he will need to do better and try to win this time around.
Gragson, on the other hand, is in search of a victory with Stewart-Haas Racing before the season ends. The upcoming two races are his only chances to do so. Watching him go against the very driver who gave him his first lesson on racing at Martinsville will make for an interesting story.
