Noah Gragson takes a cheeky jibe after videobombing Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s live pre-race interview

Noah Gragson is having a whale of a time before the Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway as he was seen photo-bombing Ricky Stenhouse Jr. during an interview. He followed it up with heckling Stenhouse Jr. and throwing him off, answering the interviewer’s question.

Stenhouse Jr. is entering Pocono Raceway still frustrated from a recent run-in with Carson Hocevar at Mexico City, where he was spun late in the race, which cost him valuable points. This resulted in him dropping just outside of the playoff cutline. The late-race spin caused by Hocevar was a repeat offence within three races, with him being vocal about his frustration and the impact on his playoff hopes. Shane van Gisbergen’s win at Mexico City further shrunk Junior’s playoff ambitions. In preparation for the race, Stenhouse Jr. has to adapt quickly to significant change atop his pit box, which was the abrupt firing of veteran spotter Tab Boyd.

Before the drivers were getting ready to face the notoriously difficult Turn 1 of the Pocono Raceway, Noah Gragson shared a light-hearted moment with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. He first photo-bombed the interviewee.

Then he went on to heckle him with:

"We want to see a show Ricky! Let's go Ricky!"

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will be guided by Clayton Hughes, with him moving to using NASCAR’s new in-car camera technology, which provides him with clearer sight. Stenhouse has qualified 30th for the Great American Getaway 400, which puts him deep in the field and underscores the challenge he will be facing at Pocono Raceway. At one of NASCAR’s most demanding tracks, he is set to tackle the “Tricking Triangle”, known for its distinct three-turn design.

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Ricky Stenhouse Jr. gives blunt statement on Carson Hocevar

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. expressed his mounting frustration with Carson Hocevar after being spun out by him for the second time in three races, most recently during the NASCAR Cup Series event in Mexico City. Stenhouse Jr., who was running in a strong position before the late-race incident, lost valuable points and fell 61 points below the playoff cut line, especially as Shane van Gisbergen’s win pushed the elimination threshold even higher. He said in an interview with NASCAR:

“For me, I’m tired of giving the kid any publicity, anyway, I don’t know how it’s going to play itself out, but it will. “I don’t know where it goes or what happens, but we’ve got a job to do over here, and that’s to claw our way back in the points. That line got tougher with SVG winning. We know next weekend is a very good opportunity for us to get the job done and win."

The repeated contact between the two drivers has become a focal point, with Stenhouse Jr. stating that he’s “tired of giving the kid any publicity” and is unsure how the situation will resolve.

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Edited by Luke Koshi