The option tires. Are they the game changer NASCAR needs? Sure the added grip is a good bonus and adds to the drama, but NASCAR has other ways to modify the grip, right? Noah Gragson certainly believes so, as a longstanding secret prank in NASCAR was exposed by the Front Row Motorsports driver ahead of the Las Vegas weekend.

In a recent chat, Gragson shared one of those stories that makes you love the chaos of this sport even more.

It all started mid-flight. Riley was a mess, sweating his Cup run at Richmond where Austin Dillon’s clash with Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin on option tires would later steal headlines. Briscoe, always ready to pull legs, saw his opening.

As Gragson put it, “It was the night race when Austin Dillon got into Joey (Logano) and Denny (Hamlin), and we were on the option tires, and Riley was tweaking out going to the track, just nervous. So we’re on the plane going up to Richmond, and (Chase) Briscoe is like, “Man, (the track) is gonna be gripped up. It’s a waxing crescent. Riley’s like, “What does that mean?” Briscoe goes, “Dude, we only race on a waxing crescent at night like every year and a half. It’s gonna be gripped up. We might have to run qualifying (tire) pressures during the whole race because it’ll be so gripped up.”

Well, for the drivers, there was indeed more grip on the track, but it had nothing to do with the moon. NASCAR had opted to bring in the softer option tires that changed grip levels for most cars. It would also be the race when Austin Dillon was later stripped of his win for causing the wreck against Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. But coming back to Gragson’s story, the prank didn’t end there.

“So then Riley gets in on the joke. Then Austin Dillon’s crew chief is (Richard) Boswell, who used to crew chief Chase Briscoe,” revealed Gragson. The prank stayed until last weekend when NASCAR raced at Phoenix. “So last week I called Boswell and Austin answered and I’m like, “Dude, are you guys ready for this waxing crescent?! Boswell, have you told him about that? Do you know about that yet?” And Austin is like, “No …” and I’m like, “Man, Boswell! You’ve got to tell him!” So Boswell starts in on it, and then we got Austin and Ty (Dillon) at driver intros to talk about the waxing crescent.”

So, does the moon really mess with the track? “I don’t actually believe the moon phase does anything,” Gragson admitted, bursting the bubble on this fake conspiracy.

Gragson, ever-willing to continue the prank, tried to rope Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Erik Jones, and Michael McDowell into the joke before debunking it in his Athletic interview. Now, this isn’t the first time the FRM driver has taken things in a humorous manner in the NASCAR garage. Just a year ago, his take on the way the garage pronounced his name left fans in splits.

“I don’t know. It depends on who you ask. I was at Junior Motorsports for four years and people pronounced it differently over there but I’m to the point where I’m just kinda hands off now. However you wanna say it, there’s only one Noah in NASCAR. So I know who they are talking about when they say, at least from Noah.” Even outside his interviews, the driver tries to keep things light for his fans on social media.

On one occasion, he posted a picture of him wearing overalls over his race suit. The twist? He wanted to wear it to media day! “2025 fit on lock. Should I wear this to media day? Who wants to see the suit tho??🔥🤝 #4,” the caption read.

But Briscoe? He’s the real mastermind here, pranks are his turf. He had revealed trying “ultimate dad jokes” on his wife that crashed and burned. Briscoe tried to set his wife up on the prank, asking her to, “pronounce these random letters.” First came ‘T W A’, then ‘T W E’, and then ‘T W I’. The kicker came when he tried to set up the punchline. “What’s T W O?” Briscoe asked his wife. To his shock, his wife replied with a simple answer. “Two,” she said, leaving fans in splits.

That’s NASCAR for you of high stakes, hard crashes, and a prank that proves even the toughest drivers can’t resist a good laugh. Gragson and crew aren’t done yet, they’re already hunting their next victims. Bet we’ll find out soon how else Noah Gragson can tickle our funny bones.

Noah Gragson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. trade jabs again continuing their lighthearted feud

Noah Gragson and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. have turned their fake beef into a NASCAR sideshow, mixing track tension with social media shots. It flared up after Circuit of the Americas, where Gragson’s lap-five slide nearly wrecked Stenhouse. Gragson hit X with, “Can’t hear you that far down the leader board. Speak up,” targeting Stenhouse’s position. Stenhouse clapped back mocking Gragson’s dirt racing skills.

This goes back to Daytona. At Phoenix, Stenhouse spun but still finished P21, topping Gragson’s P26. Stenhouse even warned Gragson about a tweet last week, showing it’s all laughs. Their history keeps fans coming for more, with Stenhouse at 14th in points and Gragson lagging at 27th.

Their fake feud born from close calls and fueled by banter adds spice to the season. Whether it’s Stenhouse poking at Gragson’s skills or Gragson firing off leaderboard burns, they’re proving NASCAR thrives on personality as much as horsepower. The track’s a tense place, but these gentlemen keep the laughs rolling.