Noah Gragson explains the special emotions of racing in front of his home fans as NASCAR heads to Las Vegas

Noah Gragson shared his thoughts on racing on his home track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, this weekend. The 27-year-old said he loves racing at the 1.5-mile oval, especially with friends and family watching him in person.

Gragson grew up competing Bandoleros and Legend Cars at The Bullring, a 0.375-mile oval within the LVMS. He secured his NASCAR Cup Series rookie contract with Legacy Motor Club in 2023 before moving to the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing the following year.

Now, the home hero drives the #4 Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports. He previously ran the Ford at his home track in the spring race, but suffered a blown tire with 25 laps to go. Ahead of his return, he noted that the team has made solid gains in speed, giving him confidence this weekend.

“I love racing at my hometown track,” Gragson said via SpeedwayDigest.com.

“I got my start at The Bullring and now competing at the Speedway in front of friends and family is special. We had a good run in the spring before the blown tire with about 20 to go. The team's been working hard to bring more speed every week, and I feel good about what we've got for this weekend,” he added.

He concluded by saying:

“Hopefully, we can put together a full race and give the fans a good show.”

Noah Gragson drives the #4 Ford Mustang for Front Row Motorsports - Source: Imagn

The South Point 400 at Las Vegas is scheduled for October 12 at 5:30 p.m. The race will coincide with the Round of 8 opener, though none of the three FRM drivers (Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland, and Zane Smith) qualified.

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“That was always my number growing up”: Noah Gragson on which number he would choose in racing

A couple of weeks ago, Noah Gragson answered some questions about himself on Reddit. When asked which number he’d choose if it weren’t tied to any specific time or team, he picked #8, explaining that it was the number he raced with as a kid.

In an episode of NASCAR's Reddit Reacts, the Las Vegas native said:

“I would drive the #8 car. That was always my number growing up as a kid.” [1:51]

“I would play pool every once in a while, and I thought, ‘Man, the last ball you need until you win is the eight.’ You kind of got to get to the eight ball. You got to go through the eight ball to win,” he added.

The #8 in the NASCAR Cup Series is currently used by Kyle Busch, who drives for Richard Childress Racing. The veteran NASCAR driver was also Noah Gragson's former boss in the Craftsman Truck Series, back when Kyle Busch Motorsports was still active.

So far, Gragson has only scored one top-5 finish in the #4 Front Row Motorsports Ford, which came from Talladega Superspeedway in April. This drafting-style track will return to the schedule the week after his upcoming home race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In addition, he has also amassed three top-10s.