Noah Gragson’s journey to the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway was a challenging one, but it ended in celebration thanks to the NASCAR fanbase.
For the third consecutive year, the driver of the No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford earned his place in the prestigious event through the fan vote rather than by qualifying on the track.
Gragson Talks About His Fan Appeal, Expresses Gratitude
Why do fans connect so strongly with Gragson? He thinks it’s pretty simple.
“I just try to be myself at the end of the day, and I probably have a bolder personality than most guys, but they don’t really show any personality, you know,” he said. “A lot of these guys in the Cup Series, if not all of them, they’re all really cool guys. I don’t know why they don’t show it.”
After making it into the All-Star Race, Gragson couldn’t stop thanking his supporters.
“Super grateful to be a part of the All-Star Race again, three years in a row with the fans. They’re the GOATs. We don’t get to do this without the fans. So their support means everything to me, and their votes, they got us in the All-Star race,” he said.
“The fans are the GOATs, I wasn’t banking on the fan vote though”@NoahGragson is voted into his 3rd-straight All-Star Race after battling power steering issues in the Open. #AllStarRace #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/IPTLaxtpJ4
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta)
The gratitude continued: “It means a lot. Really grateful to have all the support from the fans, and feel like we’ve got a pretty good race car. We struggled with… I lost power steering there in the Open race, so we’re going to try and get that better for the All-Star Race. But it’s just such a cool atmosphere here. It’s such a cool experience, and very lucky to be able to be a part of it.”
Though his season so far has been tough – sitting 31st in points with just two top 10 finishes – Gragson remains upbeat. His philosophy is simple:
“At the end of the day I just try to be me. I don’t know when my last day on earth is going to be, but if today is the day, I’m going to have as much fun as possible. I’m going to out-fun everybody.”
A Tough Weekend on the Track for Noah Gragson
Things weren’t looking good for Gragson early on. His team struggled to get the car handling right during practice. Then, during the All-Star Open qualifying race, his power steering went out. He ended up finishing 17th – nowhere near good enough to earn an automatic spot in the main event.
But that’s when Gragson’s fans came through. Their votes secured him the final entry into the All-Star Race, joining Carson Hocevar and John Hunter Nemechek, who had finished first and second in the Open.
The fan vote has been a NASCAR tradition since 2004, putting Gragson in the same company as popular drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick, who won it in the past.
Also Read: ‘How About That’ – Christopher Bell Lights Up After Clinching $1 Million NASCAR All-Star Jackpot