NASCAR fans are urging a boycott of the sport following the indefinite suspension of driver Noah Gragson, who seemed to endorse a meme that ridiculed the death of George Floyd.
Legacy Motor Club, which has replaced Gragson with Mike Rockenfeller for the next two races in Indianapolis and Watkins Glen, New York, said that Gragson’s behavior did not align with their team values. They have made a formal announcement on X (previously Twitter), stating: Road Course Veteran Mike Rockenfeller will replace Noah Gragson driving the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Sunseeker Resort Chevrolet No. 42 at Watkins Glen and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
NASCAR later issued an indefinite suspension against Gragson for breaching the organization’s code of conduct. Gragson publicly acknowledged his error on August 5 by reposting Legacy Motor Club’s statement on X and stating that he had “messed up plain and simple.”
The suspension has led to numerous racing fans advocating for a Bud Light-style boycott of NASCAR, accusing the sport’s officials of being overly “woke.” One user on X challenged race fans to ” Let’s BUD LIGHT the hell out of them. BOYCOTT Nascar!!” Others voiced support for boycotting NASCAR on the platform as well.
On the other hand, some fans defended Gragson’s suspension and attacked those promoting a boycott. One user on X argued that NASCAR would be fine without the dissenting voices, while another expressed that nothing would deter them from watching the sport. A third declared that despite being a big fan of Gragson, they wouldn’t abandon NASCAR.
Newsweek has also contacted NASCAR for their stance on the suspension. The organization shared a statement with Fox News, expressing full support for Legacy Motor Club’s decision and confirming Gragson’s indefinite hiatus under the 2023 NASCAR Rule Book’s Member Conduct section.
In his first full season racing in the NASCAR Cup series, Gragson stands 33rd in the rankings and has not achieved any top-10 finishes during this season.
