? Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

William Sawalich gets middle finger from Noah Gragson during heated Snowball Derby practice

Originally posted on 5 GOATs | By Jonathan Howard | Last updated Dec 6, 2024 1:25 PM ET

Yesterday, Noah Gragson was pretty upset with William Sawalich. Thanks to the 18-year-old posting his in-car footage, we have the on-track moment on camera. I’m not sure the video absolves the incoming NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie as he seems to think it does.

When you are a teenager and making Cup Series guys mad at an offseason super late model race, maybe you should listen more. Sawalich is talented and Joe Gibbs Racing thinks he is potentially the future of the organization.

Now, Sawalich does not blend in early. But perhaps he blended in at the wrong time. It should have ended there, but then Sawalich makes a point to get to Gragson and move him during a practice session. For what?

Noah Gragson rightfully gave William Sawalich the middle finger. Then Sawalich put the pedal to the floor and gave Gragson a bump and run. It’s just not warranted. There is no need for it.

MQ from today
Pretty sure I was under the line.
Told I was on the backstretch. pic.twitter.com/Acmvx20IHn
— William Sawalich (@WilliamSawalich) December 6, 2024

It is a long week at Five Flags Speedway. Noah Gragson might be one of the most popular drivers in the garage this weekend in Pensacola. If I am someone who cares about Sawalich and his success this weekend, like team owner Kevin Harvick, I’m talking to my young driver.

You wreck a Cup guy, they are going to be pi--ed. But it won’t hurt their pocketbook too much. If Sawalich conducts himself like this with one of the smaller teams that scrape by to make this race, he could find himself in more than a heated conversation in the infield.

Noah Gragson fuming after practice dust up with William Sawalich

As a rookie in the NASCAR Xfinity Series next season, William Sawalich will learn. A lot. He’s going to learn that it is best to lay low at times than to force an issue and make a bigger problem out of something that shouldn’t be an issue at all.

Instead, he has Noah Gragson upset with him. Gragson races Cup, he races some Xfinity stuff, and he is a Snowball Derby winner. Again, not the enemy you want if you are Sawalich at this moment.

“Yeah, yeah. I don’t, I don’t get it, man. It’s Thursday at the Snowball Derby and the Dip Dot in the 62 just running over us,” Gragson said to Matthew Dillner of FloRacing. “So, you know, we’ve been working really hard on this Port’s City race car, No. 30. We’re not quite where we need to be yet.”

He later went on to say:

“He’s tucked up behind me on a mock run, which doesn’t make any sense. Then he picks us up and sends us down in Turn 1. Just, it’s unnecessary, but you just can’t fix stupid.”

This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.

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