By Toby Christie, Editor – Follow on Twitter @Toby_Christie

Noah Gragson has been making headlines for being a typical teenage boy. The 19-year-old Kyle Busch Motorsports driver recently gave up on a Twitter conquest to win over the heart of legendary Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, and then shifted his focus to the daughter of Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer.

Gragson is a character, but his recent social media shenanigans may just show how relaxed he is currently.

The Final Lap Weekly – NASCAR Podcast – SUBSCRIBE FREE HERE

Gragson sits fourth in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings, 13 spots ahead of his position after two events last season. Now the young driver heads to his hometown track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and he is loving the home cooking.

“I am just excited to get back on the racetrack. I got my parents, my grandparents, all my friends coming out here. We have a lot of people from Safelite and Switch coming out, too. It’s a good homecoming to get back to my home racetrack,” Gragson explained in a Thursday media availability. “Growing up racing at the Bullring just outsides Turns 1 and 2, I have always dreamed of getting over to just make laps in rental car or a pace car just something that would be the coolest opportunity ever. And now I have the coolest opportunity ever to race in the Truck Series.”

Gragson ended his media availability by talking about his confidence level heading into Friday’s Stratosphere 250, and honestly on paper it looks like a quote that Busch, his car owner and fellow Vegas native, would have had at the same age.

“It’s all confidence. Just going to the racetrack with the mindset that I am a lot better than all these guys and essentially I am going to kick their ass on the racetrack,” Gragson stayed. “It hasn’t showed yet. [Brett Moffitt] won last week. I am more personally confident in myself and my preparation throughout the week. And in studying film and working with my crew chief Rudy Fugle. I know we have fast Toyota Tundra’s at Kyle Busch Motorsports. It’s just that confidence of knowing what to do when I get put in a position and I have to capitalize on it now.”

Gragson, who finished runner-up to Brett Moffitt last week in Atlanta, has one career win, which came at Martinsville last season. He will seek win No. 2 on Friday.

Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Toby Christie is the Editor of TheFinalLap.com and Social Media Director of all things @TheFinalLap. He is the co-host of The Final Lap Weekly radio show and podcast, and he is the writer and co-host of the Racing Legends podcast. Additionally, Christie is a NMPA (National Motorsports Press Association) award winning writer, and has covered the sport as a media member since 2007. Christie began his love for NASCAR as a fan in 1993. You can Tweet Toby at Toby_Christie, or email him at tobalical@icloud.com.