Noah Gragson Released By NASCAR Team After Liking Insensitive George Floyd Meme

Photo: Sean Gardner (Getty Images)

Less than a week after being suspended, Noah Gragson has parted ways with Legacy Motor Club. Gragson was initially sidelined last Saturday, the day before the NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway. He had liked a meme on Instagram mocking the murder of George Floyd. Now, it’s not clear when or if the 25-year-old will return to the stock car racing’s highest division.

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The meme in question features George Floyd’s face superimposed over the crab Sebastian from Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” with the caption, “Under da knee, under da knee.” The caption references the film’s song “Under The Sea” and how Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes in 2020.

Legacy Motor Club suspended Gragson indefinitely, replacing him in the No. 42 Chevy Camaro with Josh Berry. NASCAR followed the team’s decision and also suspended Gragson indefinitely, citing a violation of the Member Conduct section of the 2023 NASCAR Rule Book. The same section of the rule book was used to levy Kyle Larson’s 2020 suspension when he was a racial slur during a widely-publicized iRacing event.

Today, Legacy Motor Club published a statement that Gragson has asked to be released from his contract. In the statement, Gragson said:

“I have asked Legacy Motor Club to release me from my contract so that I can take time to work through the NASCAR reinstatement process. I love racing, and I am looking forward to a second chance to compete for wins at the highest level of NASCAR – and most importantly, make my family, my team and the fans proud of me once again.”

Mike Rockenfeller will race the No. 42 Camaro this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and on August 20th at Watkins Glen. Who will drive the No. 42 during the other remaining rounds is unclear.