Dejected Gragson on Texas heartbreak: ‘Just couldn’t get it done’

Noah Gragson was on his way to becoming a hero on Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway, taking the white flag with the lead to potentially seal his fate for the Championship 4. But that all changed in the final corner, when Harrison Burton passed the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet driver to steal a much-needed victory away in the second NASCAR Xfinity Series Round of 8 playoff race. Gragson took the lead away from fellow playoff driver Austin Cindric following a restart with 15 laps remaining in the 200-lap event. It was clear that Burton had the faster car, however, running down Gragson in the final three laps. RELATED: See the thrilling finish at Texas | Race results In hindsight, Gragson admitted he put too much steering wheel into it during the waning moments, heating up the front tires too much, which made it impossible to hold his line to keep Burton at bay. “On the last lap in (Turns) 1 and 2 I knew he was coming quick,” Gragson said. “I figured may as well put all the wheel I can into it until slipping, obviously. But I don’t know if I overheated the fronts or what, it was tighter. Grew tighter as the closing laps came and just couldn’t get it done.” Gragson, known for his aggression behind the wheel, felt he had a different approach as the pressure poured on him. That made the pill of losing the battle even harder to swallow. “Normally I feel like I’d get excited in moments like that, but I was more patient and calm than ever,” Gragson said. “I felt like I was really well-prepared for this moment. Entry of (Turn) 3 you’re on top of the world, on exit you feel like a total POS.” The series now heads to Martinsville Speedway next Saturday for the Round of 8 finale (3:30 p.m. ET on NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It will be Gragson’s last shot to make the championship race at Phoenix Raceway. With a 24-point deficit on the cutline, it’s mathematically not a must-win situation for Gragson, but it may as well be given how stiff the competition will be to fill the final three spots in the Championship 4. He'll be battling for the opportunity with teammate Justin Allgaier, as well as Justin Haley, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain and Ryan Sieg. On a positive note, Gragson knows how to find Victory Lane at Martinsville, earning a win in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2017. “Just try to go win the race,” Gragson said. “Try to go run as best as possible and do the best I can. There’s a lot of great competitors here in the Xfinity Series fighting for a championship. It’s very competitive. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be there. Just got to focus forward, keep our heads up and stay positive. Let the past be the past and learn from it.”