Noah Gragson has become the first driver to be penalised under a new NASCAR rule banning drivers from extending their hands out of the window during qualifying. The 27-year-old had his time in the No. 4 Ford for Front Row Motorsports disqualified during Daytona 500 qualifying on Wednesday.
Gragson used his left hand in an attempt to deflect air and gain an aerodynamic advantage on the superspeedway, a practice that has now been outlawed. He admitted he had forgotten about the rule, saying: “I completely forgot about that rule so that one's on me. Yeah, I feel like an idiot for that.”
The infringement meant Gragson did not advance to the second round of qualifying and lost his chance to compete for pole position. His starting position for Sunday's Daytona 500 will now be determined by Thursday night's qualifying races.
The incident drew a sarcastic response from NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., who wrote on social media: “This is the most Noah thing ever. Don’t touch that stove, it’s hot. Touches stove. Gets burnt. Says yes, it is hot.” Kyle Busch went on to claim pole, with Chase Briscoe second. Briscoe, a friend of Gragson, joked that he was not surprised by the lapse.
Teams had previously believed the hand gesture could provide an advantage, but NASCAR decided to ban it in the offseason. Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman noted that engineers would often instruct drivers on hand positioning, but added: “I am glad that I can just keep two hands on the steering wheel for this one.”
Gragson is winless in 111 career Cup Series races and will be making his fifth Daytona 500 start. He was suspended by NASCAR in 2023 after liking an insensitive meme featuring a photo of George Floyd.
