NASCAR driver Noah Gragson’s race at Nashville Superspeedway ended prematurely on June 1 after a collision with fellow competitor Alex Bowman. The incident cut short Gragson’s chances of a strong finish during the Cracker Barrel 400, leaving the Front Row Motorsports driver visibly frustrated over the Nashville Superspeedway race incident.
Earlier in the race, another crash occurred when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was forcefully passed by Carson Hocevar at Turn 3, causing Stenhouse to crash into the SAFER barrier and head to the garage prematurely. Later, on lap 113, Bowman from Hendrick Motorsports miscalculated his entry into a corner and made contact with Gragson’s #4 Ford. The collision inflicted significant damage on both drivers’ cars, forcing Gragson out of contention.
Reflecting on the crash, Gragson expressed his disappointment with Bowman’s move during an interview with Frontstretch.
“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,”
Gragson said.
Despite the setback, Gragson acknowledged the strong efforts of Front Row Motorsports, highlighting their consistent work and competitive car builds in recent events. He added,
“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.”
The 26-year-old Nevada native has experienced a challenging 2025 season, participating in 14 races with only two top-10 finishes. His best performance came at Talladega, where he placed fourth. Unfortunately, Gragson has recorded three DNFs this year and presently sits 31st in the driver standings with 214 points.
Discussion on Potential Horsepower Increases in Cup Series Cars
NASCAR is currently examining proposals to raise horsepower limits in Cup Series cars, particularly for short tracks and road courses. This review follows criticism from veteran drivers such as Kyle Busch, who have compared the racing quality of lower series, like the Xfinity Series, favorably in terms of power and vehicle performance.
Noah Gragson’s crew chief, Drew Blickensderfer, openly supported a potential boost in horsepower, emphasizing confidence in their Ford program and engine support from Doug Yates. Blickensderfer commented,
“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.”
Should NASCAR decide to implement horsepower increases, the adjustments are expected to target specific race types where added power could improve competition and racing excitement, including short tracks and road courses.
The outcomes of these technical discussions could significantly affect team strategies and vehicle performance as the Cup Series progresses through the season. For Gragson and Front Row Motorsports, overcoming the setbacks at Nashville will be crucial to climbing the standings and pursuing more consistent finishes.