Noah Gragson fueled speculation about his future with recent comments on The Dale Jr. Download about finding a job. Yet, Front Row Motorsports has now confirmed that the plan is to keep him in the building.
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Front Row Motorsports general manager Jerry Freeze provided an update during an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Wednesday. He said that the team believes in Gragson's talent after seeing how he performed at previous teams and that the No. 4 team has just lacked speed this season.
"We want Noah back at Front Row, and I feel pretty good about it," Freeze said. "We're working through the last details in his agreement, so I feel pretty good about it. I'd look for something out of us in a few weeks on that.
"These programs, there's a lot of moving pieces to it, and you've gotta put all of it together. We believe in his talent."
Gragson, a Las Vegas native, rose through NASCAR's lower series while scoring numerous wins in the process.
He captured two wins in the Truck Series with Kyle Busch Motorsports, and he finished second in the championship standings in 2018.
He won 13 races in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series with JR Motorsports, including eight in 2022. He also finished second in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series championship standings in 2022.
The time in the Cup Series has not been as smooth for Gragson. He has only posted three top-five finishes and 12 top-10s in 132 starts, along with an average finish of 23.8. He has also missed nearly half of a season due to a suspension for liking a racially insensitive post on social media.
He has driven for three teams full-time — Legacy Motor Club, Stewart-Haas Racing, and Kaulig Racing. He has taken on part-time schedules with Kaulig Racing and Beard Motorsports. He also served as an injury replacement for Alex Bowman at Hendrick Motorsports.
Gragson showed flashes in his first season at Front Row Motorsports. He and the No. 4 team had speed to run in the top 10 at times, but they also failed to finish eight races due to crashes.
This season, the No. 4 team hasn't had the speed. Crew chief Drew Blickensderfer moved to a new role while Grant Hutchens got his first opportunity to lead a team. Gragson only has four DNFs thus far, but he only has one top-10 finish.
"We just haven't found the consistent speed with that car," Freeze added. "Last year, I felt like we had a little bit more speed; we just got caught up in a lot of accidents. And this year, we're just lacking a little bit of speed."
The struggles on the track this season led to speculation about Gragson's future with the team, especially after Front Row Truck Series driver Layne Riggs said that a move to the Cup Series in 2027 remained possible. Yet, Freeze has seemingly confirmed that Gragson will be back for a third season with the team.
