Noah Gragson is going to make his fourth appearance in the Daytona 500 in a couple of months but the race he wants to win the most is one he’s already conquered.
He wants another Tom Dawson Trophy.
Gragson won the 2018 Snowball Derby but others will tell you there was an asterisk attached to it. His Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate, Raphael Lessard, led the most laps that day but suffered an engine failure that allowed Gragson to take the lead and hold it for the remaining 16 laps.
He then passed post-race technical inspection but an engine teardown at an independent dyno resulted in offseason power reduction for the engine manufacturer under his hood. Gragson has the trophy and simply does not care what anyone has to say about it.
“I couldn’t give a shit about what they would say,” Gragson said. “I mean, how many names have been put on this trophy? Not many. My name is on one. I am fortunate and grateful to have won this race and am excited to come back.
“I want to win a second one just because this is the biggest race I run every year. This is bigger than the Daytona 500 to me. That’s just how much this race means to me.”
Gragson says this every year and there comes a certain point where you have to believe him.
“It’s just a special week to me,” Gragson said. “Everyone here is family to me and it means more to race with family. I spent a lot of time early in my career wanting to beat Bubba Pollard and Derek Thorn. I think Bubba Pollard is one of the best race car drivers of his generation and he doesn’t have a Tom Dawson Trophy yet.
“A lot goes into this week and I just have a lot of respect for this kind of racing.”
As he said this, Super Late Model veteran Matt Craig pulled up on his four wheeler.
“Matt Craig runs this race every year,” Gragson says with a laugh.
“But no, like Bubba is a friend and I have so much respect for him. There are a lot of talented race car drivers and teams here. It takes everything to win. You have to be perfect and that’s why I feel the way I feel about winning it.”
Gragson also gets to spend the week with a thousand of his best friends too.
From the moment Gragson unloaded, he was driving his four wheeler from pit area to pit area just to catch up with racers he hadn’t seen since last December. California. Wisconsin. Canada. He’s friends with everyone here.
“They’re just all really good friends,” Gragson said. “Like, this is the only Super race I will have run this year and so I haven’t seen everyone in a while. These are all old friends. I first started running this race in like 2015 and didn’t know anyone here but they all took me in.
“I think of Zack Dunston over at Carson Hocevar Racing and all the Donnie Wilson guys. Bubba is one of my best friends. Every time I come here, I end up with more friends and relationships. Today is special because we get to catch up before practice starts and it’s about getting serious and trying to win the race but I just love being here.”
