NASCAR drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Noah Gragson have been engaging in some social media banter, playfully ribbing each other. Following their exchange of barbs after the COTA race, which was initially perceived as the seeds of a rivalry, Stenhouse clarified before the Phoenix race that their interactions were all in jest.
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Yet, the playful dynamic has escalated as they now resort to editing humorous images to one-up each other. Recently, Stenhouse uploaded a photo on social media featuring himself with Noah Gragson, where Gragson’s face was superimposed onto a child’s body seated next to Stenhouse.
He humorously captioned the image: “Bring your son to work day tomorrow, tune in on @NASCARonFOX @NoahGragson.” It sparked fans to join the fun, cheering on a lighthearted banter between the two on the platform.
One fan sided with Noah, commenting, “You’re both pretty ass but at least Gragson isn’t nicknamed Wrecky because he wrecks someone every weekend,” while another echoed similar sentiments, stating, “Gragson still has better race craft then you do.” Another fan playfully urged Gragson, “@NoahGragson you going to let this slide? Time to bring stats.”
This is outstanding! The world needs laughter more than ever.
— JerryXXX (@jerry_fran1971) March 15, 2025
A further jab at Stenhouse Jr.’s driving skills came from another fan who remarked, “My brother in Christ, Noah passed you a long time ago…. And he’s younger lol. Sit this one out, Wrecky.”
The lighthearted conflict between Noah Gragson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. first began after a narrow escape at Daytona and a tense moment at COTA, which almost resulted in Stenhouse being taken out of the race.
To defuse the tension, the latest Front Row Motorsports driver took to Twitter to inject humor into the situation, which started a lively exchange on social media.
Gragson recalled the duo’s run-in during the 2025 Daytona 500, where, with only 15 laps to go, Stenhouse attempted to block a move from Joey Logano, who was getting a push from Gragson. The result was a collision that entangled eight cars, including Gragson and other leaders. Gragson tweeted after the incident, “So close to getting @StenhouseJr back from Daytona,” referencing their close shave at COTA.
Stenhouse replied with a bit of dry wit, “Need to run more dirt, sent that a little fast for a slide job,” playfully critiquing Gragson’s maneuver. The banter continued when Gragson delivered a sharp retort, “Can’t hear you that far down the leaderboard. Speak up,” keeping the online repartee engaging.
Recently, after Stenhouse Jr. got spun on lap 10 of Stage 1 at Phoenix, initial suspicions pointed toward Cole Custer and Todd Gilliland as the instigators.
However, video footage from Shane van Gisbergen’s car later indicated that Noah Gragson played a role, having nudged the #41 car first, which then collided with the #34 driver, ultimately leading to Stenhouse, positioned closest to the outside wall, being spun out.
In response, Stenhouse Jr. took to his X account to post the video, sardonically commenting, “Assuming this was @NoahGragson inside his helmet… Good job making it seem like the 41 & 34 got me.” True to form, Noah didn’t let the comment pass without a quick retort.
He replied with a classic racing line: “He didn’t slam into ya He didn’t bump ya He didn’t nudge ya He rubbed ya And Rubbing Son is Racing.”
While the banter is currently fun and lively on social media, it remains to be seen how long their social media spat remains on social media and does not get translated into an on-track rivalry.
