NASCAR's Noah Gragson Suspended After 'Liking' George Floyd Meme

Noah Gragson is not taking part in the NASCAR Cup Series race in Michigan because of his recent actions. Legacy Motore Club announced on Saturday that Gragson has been suspended indefinitely for "liking" a meme that mocked George Floyd. Josh Berry took Gragson's place in the race which began on Sunday and finished on Monday.

"NASCAR fully supports Legacy Motor Club's decision to suspend Noah Gragson," the organization wrote on Twitter Saturday. "Following his actions on social media, NASCAR has determined that Gragson has violated the Member Conduct section of the 2023 NASCAR Rule Book and has placed him under indefinite suspension."  

Following the announcement by Legacy Motor Club, Gragson went to Twitter to share his reaction. "I am disappointed in myself for my lack of attention and actions on social media," Gragson wrote. "I understand the severity of this situation. I love and appreciate everyone. I try to treat everyone equally no matter who they are. I messed up plain and simple."

TMZ Sports reported that Gragson's Instagram account like a member about Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in 2020 when former Derek Chauvin pinned his knee to Floyd's neck. The image on Instagram showed a live-action version of Sebastian the crab from Disney's The Little Mermaid, with a photo of Floyd's face photoshopped on top of him, and the text in the image said: "Under Da Knee, Under Da Knee."

Per NBC Sports, Section 4.3.E in the Cup Rule Book states: "NASCAR Members shall not make or cause to be made a public statement and/or communication that criticizes, ridicules, or otherwise disparages another person based upon that person's race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, or handicapping condition."

Gragson is competing in his first full season of the NASCAR Cup Series and entered this weekend in 33rd place in the Cup Series standings. In February, PopCulture.com spoke exclusively to Gragson about competing with Legacy Motor Club which is co-owned by NASCAR legend Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson.

"It's been great. It's been great to be able to have that mentorship," Gragson said. "And those are two guys that I've looked up to for a long time. You have a more old-school guy like Richard Petty, where the sport might have changed a lot since he was driving and winning all those races. But I feel like I can learn something from everybody. And he's a seven-time champion of the sport. He knows how to win races, he knows how to... He's been around it for years and I can really learn a lot from him. I can learn a lot off of Jimmie, also being a seven-time champion."