Noah Gragson says slower Xfinity driver still an (idiot)

It was the crash heard ‘round the NASCAR world.

Noah Gragson was speeding toward an apparent victory in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Homestead, Florida, when a slower car driven by journeyman David Starr cut a tire and veered toward the wall. Gragson, running too close behind to take avoiding action, made hard contact with Starr’s car and was eliminated from the race.

The Las Vegas driver blasted Starr during a heat-of-the moment TV interview. Three days later, much as he had in the race, Gragson refused to back off.

Here are three things he revealed about the dust-up during a telephone chat with the Review-Journal:

1. Starr’s still an (idiot).

That’s not exactly the word Gragson used in describing Starr. He used an expletive that sounds like “dipstick.” He also was unaware that Starr had had a tire problem.

“No, but I don’t regret the comment,” Gragson said Tuesday. “When you cord a tire, it unravels slowly over the course of a lap or two. So as a racecar driver you should know your tire is unraveling. You need to go to the bottom (of the track) if the leader is coming. I was frustrated that … with his experience level, he was unable to feel that. I think that is a safety hazard. People can get really hurt.”

2. Going low: not an option

As fans were choosing sides about who was to blame, some questioned why Gragson didn’t come off the wall with such a big lead. He believes such a decision might have upset his rhythm.

“I had a lot of people telling me, ‘Why don’t you just go just low?’ Well, we were going 18 mph faster than him on corner entry. If he would have been three or four more car lengths ahead of me, I would have had time to react. But when you’re going that fast and are committed to the top, it’s not like you can just turn the thing off the wall.

“When you get into a rhythm up there … that’s what got me the eight-second lead. So I’m not going to change what I am doing. It’s the slower car’s job to give the leader the right of way with two laps to go.”

3. No filter necessary

A big reason for Gragson’s popularity within his fan base — and his unpopularity with those less vested — is his penchant for speaking his mind. He said he doesn’t plan to filter knee-jerk reactions to what happens on the track or for that matter, away from it.

“I’m going to be me. I don’t think there’s a lot of that in NASCAR, you know?” he said. “I have a great sponsor that allows me to be myself. Johnny Morris (CEO of Bass Pro Shops, Gragson’s primary sponsor) called and said he was proud of me after that race.”

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.