For much of his racing career, Noah Gragson has worn a certain reputation.
He’s loud. Outgoing. Wears his emotion on the sleeve of his fire suit. The kind of driver who celebrates with fans, playfully ribs his competitors and never seems afraid to show personality in a sport that can sometimes reward restraint.
But as Gragson acknowledges in “Full Speed: The Daytona 500,” now streaming on Prime Video, that public image has often come with some, perhaps inaccurate, assumptions.
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“Everyone thinks I’m a dip (expletive),” Gragson said early in the film.
The feature-length documentary, debuting Thursday on Prime Video, offers a different look at the Las Vegas native; one that pulls back from the race car and digs into the life experiences, both good and bad, that helped shape him. Gragson traces his earliest racing roots back to a moment with his father at an indoor go-kart track when he was a kid.
“I was a (expletive) head kid,” he said with a laugh. “So my dad took me into this indoor go-kart track. He was like, ‘You want to give it a shot?’ “
The answer, of course, was yes. He’s never looked back.
From there came Bandolero cars, a boatload of early wins and a competitive spark that quickly took over. In the film, Gragson remembers finishing third in his first race and realizing just how addictive the pursuit of victory could be.
“That was kind of my first taste,” said the No. 4 Front Row Motorsports driver. “And I thought ‘this is the coolest (expletive) I’ve ever done in my entire life.’ “
The climb through NASCAR’s ranks came quickly from there.
Winning followed him through the lower levels of the sport — he had premier rides in both the Craftsman Truck and O’Reilly Auto Parts series, pouring on a whopping eight NOAPS wins during his final full-time season there in 2022 — and expectations rose just as fast.
But the Cup Series has been a whole different beast of a challenge.
“How has your Cup career been so far?” a producer asks him in the film.
“Horrible,” Gragson answers bluntly.
After years of racing near the front and collecting trophies, the adjustment to NASCAR’s top level has been difficult. Wins haven’t come easily. Some days, simply completing the race feels like the goal.
“You’re used to winning your whole life,” said Gragson. “You go from being at the top, winning every weekend, to just trying to finish the race. And it really (expletive) sucks.”
As difficult as his past few years on track have been, they’ve been arguably more challenging off of it.
The documentary also explores the deeper chapters of Gragson’s journey, including the personal reality he has been navigating away from the race track. In 2019, his father, Scott Gragson, was involved in a fatal DUI crash and later sentenced to prison.
“My situation is different,” said Gragson, holding back tears. “Back in 2019, my dad was involved with a fatal DUI. It’s changed my life. It’s changed my family’s life. It’s changed other families’ lives.”
His father is now serving a prison sentence, and their contact is limited.
“I maybe get to talk to him once a week. You can visit on Sundays. I race every Sunday, so it makes it really tough.”
There’s no attempt to frame the situation neatly.
“You know, he’s my dad,” Gragson continued. “I love him. But I’ve still got my life that I’ve got to live. I just try to take the positive from it because it (expletive) sucks. That’s the hand that you’re dealt. You’re grateful for what you got, people you got around you. There’s more to life than bad finishes in racing.
” … There’s not many people who can put themselves in my shoes, but one thing I know, is that everybody’s going through something.”
Moments like those give “Full Speed: The Daytona 500” a deeper emotional layer than fans might expect from a racing documentary.
While Gragson navigates through his challenges, he remains a prospect with a high ceiling, and at just 27, could still have plenty of career prosperity ahead of him. Though he’s been held out of the top 10 in three races, he’s scored 65 points thus far and sits just outside the provisional Chase field.
In one scene, Gragson stands inside his trophy room, looking over the hardware from earlier stages of his career.
“I’ll come in here and look around and think hopefully you can add to the collection,” he says. “But tomorrow’s not really guaranteed.”
Despite everything — the setbacks, the scrutiny and the personal weight he carries — Gragson’s approach and laid-back nature to life haven’t changed all that much.
“Just try to have as much (expletive) fun as you can.”
Gragson’s story is only one thread in “Full Speed: The Daytona 500,” which also follows Kyle Busch, Connor Zilisch and Brad Keselowski as they prepare for NASCAR’s biggest race, all battling unique circumstances.
Fans can see more of Gragson — and the other drivers navigating the pressure and chaos of the Daytona 500 – with “Full Speed: The Daytona 500,” now streaming on Prime Video.