Noah Gragson cleared to return at Nashville

Noah Gragson has been medically cleared to return to action for the next NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday. NASCAR will also grant him a waiver that allows him to remain eligible for the playoffs should he qualify.

Gragson missed the most recent Cup race at Sonoma due to a concussion he sustained in a hard crash at Gateway. Craftsman Truck Series driver Grant Enfinger, who races for Legacy Motor Club‘s Truck satellite GMS Racing, made his Cup début and finished twenty-sixth in the #42.

He ultimately missed just a single race, somewhat aided by the Cup Series taking a week off on Father’s Day weekend.

Despite receiving a waiver, Gragson faces a massive uphill battle if he hopes to make the playoffs as a rookie. He and the team have struggled mightily in 2023, sitting thirty-third in points with a best finish of twelfth at Atlanta; prior to his injury, he was thirty-second.

Gragson has raced at Nashville twice in the Xfinity Series, finishing eighth in 2021 and thirteenth the following year.