Noah Gragson is now eligible to return to NASCAR competition, the sanctioning body announced Tuesday after lifting his indefinite suspension.
He was indefinitely suspended in August after he was discovered to have liked an Instagram Reel mocking the 2020 murder of George Floyd. Gragson issued an apology before departing Legacy Motor Club five days later, abruptly ending his Cup Series rookie year.
At the time of his suspension, he was thirty-third in points. Legacy eventually tasked Josh Berry, Mike Rockenfeller, and Carson Hocevar to fill in the #42.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to NASCAR for reinstating me,” reads a statement from Gragson. “Over the past several weeks, I have dedicated myself to personal growth and reflection, and I believe I have become a better person because of it. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and the NASCAR industry. I am now more focused and committed than ever to representing my future team in the best way possible. I’m eager to get back behind the wheel and compete at the highest level, giving it my all on and off the track. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey, and I can’t wait to make the most of this second chance.”
Gragson has not revealed his future plans beyond competing in the ASA STARS National Tour race at Toledo on Saturday. Barring the highly unlikely scenarios of adding another car or firing Erik Jones, a return to LMC is out of the question as the team has signed John Hunter Nemechek to pilot the #42.