There has never been a question of talent when it comes to the 25-year-old Las Vegas native, but making the best decisions on and off the track is another matter.
Still, Gragson has always embraced his role as a personality for NASCAR fans to follow and if he can bring that as well as his best on the track to Front Row, the organization believes it will be better for it.
Gragson, who currently drives the No. 10 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing, signed a multi-year deal this week to drive one of Front Row’s three planned full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series next year.
Team owner Bob Jenkins said he had his eye on Gragson as soon it became clear SHR was closing its doors at season’s end and its stable of four drivers would be available.
“The thing I’m most proud of is just the culture (of our organization),” Jenkins said. “It’s a close-knit group and I think the thing that Noah brings is just a new level of excitement.
“He’s just got contagious energy. Anybody that’s spent five minutes around him can see that. I remember being at Talladega one time and seeing a guy going down the boulevard on a scooter. I’m like, ‘Who is that guy?’ That’s Noah Gragson.
“He’s just one of those, for whatever reason, people just relate to him, and he relates well with them.”
Gragson turned heads quickly after winning twice in Truck Series and 13 times in the Xfinity Series, including a runner-up finish in the series standings in 2022.
His Cup career has been more haphazard.
He began his 2023 rookie Cup season with Legacy Motor Club but was suspended by the team and later NASCAR in August for violating the sport’s code of conduct. He was reinstated later that year.
In 59 career Cup starts, Gragson has seven top-10 and two top-five finishes, most coming this season with SHR, including his career-best finish of third at Talladega.
“When the Stewart-Haas announcement was made, I looked at Noah and I thought this is a great opportunity to get a quality driver, a good person who’s a little bit out of the Front Row norm,” Jenkins said.
“He’s not quite as conservative as some of the drivers we’ve had in the past.”
Until recently, Front Row has typically fielded experienced drivers and while the organization has not traditionally competed at the level of Joe Gibbs Racing or Hendrick Motorsports, its drivers have been able to cash in on occasional victories.
A Tier 1 race team
David Ragan, Chris Buescher and Michael McDowell (twice) have all won races with Front Row, including McDowell’s 2021 Daytona 500 victory. McDowell, 39, is moving to Spire Motorsports in 2025.
With a new technical alliance with Team Penske that started this year as well as “Tier 1” support from Ford Performance, Front Row hopes to take the next step in its development and is turning to sort of a youth movement to fuel it.
Gragson will join current Front Row driver Todd Gilliland – who is 24 years-old – and one other driver that should be named within the next month.
Jenkins said the final driver will likely be someone similar to Gilliland and Gragson.
“I think you’re going to have three young but experienced drivers, that their youthful but they’ve gotten that first couple of years out of the way,” he said. “I think people will look at Front Row Motorsports and say, ‘This is a team that could be together for a long time.’
“So, the thing I’m most excited about with Noah is that he’s not even really hit his ceiling. He’s still growing in this sport and getting better every week.
“I’m just excited to see where this all goes.”
