With the NASCAR grid closed for a two-week break, drivers are spending their free time in different ways. Most are enjoying time with their families, while others are engrossed in fascinating building games. William Byron and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have long been in the latter group, showing their love for Lego. And now, another Stewart-Haas Racing driver, Noah Gragson, has joined this group of builders.
This year has been especially difficult for the SHR team, as they are completely shut down at the end of the season. Drivers are trying to secure their futures and, fortunately, most of them have repaired their future homes. In the midst of these turbulent times, one of Tony Stewart’s stars decided to relax the LEGO way.
Noah Gragson also finds bliss in building
Late last year, William Byron publicly confessed his love for Lego. At the time, he was fighting for a spot in the championship playoffs after six wins, but the indoor hobby soothed him.
The Hendrick Motorsports star was proud of his Lego builds and likened them to driving a car. “The muscle movements in your hands are a little bit like driving a car.” This year, Byron featured his hobby in the Netflix series “NASCAR: Full Speed.” And it was that that inspired veteran driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. to get excited about Lego, for which he credited Byron. Now, Byron’s SHR rivals are joining the trend.
Tony Stewart signed Noah Gragson last year, and he’s been shining ever since. Gragson already has a spot locked down at Front Row Motorsports, and with seven top-10 finishes, he’s decided to take a breather during the Olympic break. Both Byron and Dale Jr. will do well with his new hobby. “I started playing Lego about a month ago,” Gragson said recently. I never thought I’d be into Lego at 26. Now I’m totally addicted. I’ve spent so much money on these things. But when I come home from work, they sit on the table.”
Noah Gragson then detailed the Lego products he has piled up in his house: “I’ve got some Lego that I’ve already built. We have a bunch of F1 cars – Jacob, the tire guy on the 10-car team, built this one. We also have a moving Pac-Man, so the inside is functional. We have a lighthouse where the lights are on… Matt, the engine tuner at No. 10, built this Empire State Building. We have this guy, we have a Lego guy… and we had a little Lego guy in there… I had to buy a little Mini Cooper because I have a Mini Cooper truck. “
These are just a few of his vast collection. But Noah Gragson told us which one he likes best: “Probably the one I’m most excited about is… here it is. LEGO Titanic – 9090 pieces. With the construction of paradise now within reach, Gragson announced his verdict: “I love building with LEGO and I have a lot of fun with it… Maybe I’ll build something bigger.
Collect them the next time you visit.”
Noah Gragson was not only inspired by his LEGO colleague Dale Jr., but also worked closely with him.
Building LEGO requires constant patience and meticulous attention, which is why some projects can be very time-consuming. But Noah Gragson likes it and admits that the giant Titanic set is his favorite. He’s not the only one to make this choice, though, as Dale Earnhardt Jr. owns a similar set. Dale Jr. admitted that he recently bought a Millennium Falcon set that doesn’t come close to the Titanic set, and boasted, “I have a lot of pieces… thousands of pieces.” Even his wife, Amy, was upset that the Titanic was taking up so much space in their house. But Dale Jr. kept it anyway, and Noah Gragson is even happier about it.
The No. 10 driver for Stewart-Haas Racing is currently busy with another set. Still, he challenged Dale Jr. to build the Titanic set first. “Let’s see who finishes first. $1 bet. I haven’t started yet, so you have a head start. I’m currently building a single-family home.” Let’s see who wins this thrilling duel. But both drivers could take inspiration from William Byron, who appeared on a 2022 episode of FOX’s “LEGO Masters.” Byron gave feedback to contestants as they tried to build and design race cars out of LEGO bricks. So who should they turn to in place of the masters?
