Gragson glad to 'get back on the map' in 2024
Yesterday at 02:47 PM
Noah Gragson has finally put in a full NASCAR Cup Series season and has his feet back underneath him.
Gragson finished 24th in the championship standings driving for Stewart-Haas Racing. The No. 10 team put together seven top-10 finishes and an average finish of 21.6. Along the way, Gragson marked off tracks he had never previously competed on and signed a new deal — with Front Row Motorsports — for the 2025 season.
"I think getting an opportunity for next year with everything going away, the goal was to just get back on the map," Gragson told RACER about what he wanted to get out of the 2024 season. "The main goal was to get back on the map and show we can run competitively. With that being said, it’s been a privilege to be in this opportunity."
Stewart-Haas Racing announced the end of its tenure in May. Gragson announced his deal with Front Row in July.
It was Tony Stewart and Gene Haas who brought Gragson back into the sport. Gragson became a hot commodity by winning 13 races in four Xfinity Series seasons. In the process, he ran nearly half a Cup Series season in 2022 with Beard Motorsports, Kaulig Racing, and then as a substitute driver at Hendrick Motorsports when Alex Bowman suffered a concussion.
Legacy Motor Club hired Gragson for the 2023 season. However, it only lasted until late summer when he was suspended by the team and NASCAR for liking an insensitive meme on Instagram. But his second chance came with Stewart-Haas and Gragson has been putting his best foot forward ever since.
"I'm very grateful for Tony and Greg Zipadelli and everybody who has given me this opportunity over at Stewart-Haas," Gragson said. "It's a bummer what everyone is going through but for myself personally, I'm not content and I'm not satisfied with (what we've accomplished). But I'm confident to say I feel like I have somewhat earned an opportunity to race on Sundays."
It was an up-and-down year for Gragson and his team. At the start of the season, Gragson appeared to carry the banner for Stewart-Haas with five top-10 finishes in the first 12 races. But as the season progressed, Gragson felt there were rule changes that hindered the team and areas where he could have done better.
Gragson ended the year the second highest Stewart-Haas driver in the overall standings. Chase Briscoe led the way by winning the regular season finale to earn a spot in the 16-driver postseason.
"But I think my attitude and growth from last year, I've seen improvement personally," Gragson said. "There is still a long way to go, but I want to keep on growing."
"I still ride the waves of the highs are good and the lows are low and get frustrated like anybody," Gragson further explained. "But to be able to have a bad run the prior week and bounce back the next week and put yourself back on the map. Last year … I don't think we had a good run. Not one. It wasn't fun. I'm having more fun."
The fun will continue at Front Row. Gragson was the second driver confirmed for the team, which plans to expand to three cars for the 2025 season. The car number, crew chief, and partners for Gragson's program are still unconfirmed.
Front Row knows it is getting a talented and likable driver in Gragson. Someone they believe is marketable and can bring a good energy to a race team. And for Gragson, he will bring experience and a better perspective.
"The people that I met and the experiences we've had," will be what Gragson takes into the future. "Thinking back 20 years down the road of where I was at last year and how drastic my life has changed in the last 18 months to 24 months. From being at the highest of highs in Xfinity to the lowest of lows in my rookie season in Cup, and not even finishing that out.
"But then to get a second opportunity to come back, and really just appreciate the little things. Appreciate the time you get to spend with the guys in the hauler before the race, and walking out to driver intros. It's all the little stuff I'll appreciate in 20 years."