Gragson Finishes 18th at Homestead After a Flat Tire

Noah Gragson came to Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway with high hopes of finishing his rookie campaign on a high note. He fought a loose condition in the Switch Tundra early in the race, and once the truck was better, a flat left-rear tire in the final stage put him three laps down and out of contention. He finished the race 18th. 
 
Stage One Recap:
  • Gragson started fifth, but fell back throughout the first stage as he told the team his Switch Tundra was “wrecking loose.” He finished the first 40-lap stage in 11th and came to pit road for four tires and some major chassis adjustments to help the handling.
 
Stage Two Recap:
  • Gragson started the second stage in 11th place and said the truck was still a bit loose, but not as bad as the first stage. He worked his way up to ninth to finish Stage Two. He pitted for four tires and another track bar adjustment. Quick work by the Switch crew helped him gain two positions on pit road moving up to seventh place.
 
Stage Three Recap:
  • After a pit road penalty for another competitor, Gragson started the final 54-lap stage in sixth place. Unfortunately, he did not get the chance to see if he could compete for the win. Only seven laps after the restart, Gragson radioed to the team he had a tire going down. He came to pit road under green for new left-side tires, which put him three laps behind the leaders. He finished the race in 18th, while his KBM teammate, Christopher Bell, finished second to claim KBM’s second driver’s championship and sixth owner’s championship.

KBM PR