By David Morgan, Associate Editor
Noah Gragson has gotten his second chance to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series.
After an errant post on social media in early August forced him to be indefinitely suspended by NASCAR, as well as a suspension and eventual dismissal from the team he drove for at the time – Legacy Motor Club, his future in the sport was very much up in the air.
But after a period of self-reflection as he worked his way through the NASCAR-mandated sensitivity training and an eventual reinstatement by the sanctioning body, where and how the 25-year-old Las Vegas native would return to the cockpit was still unknown.
Enter Stewart-Haas Racing.
Following Aric Almirola’s decision to retire from full-time racing in the Cup Series at the conclusion of the 2023 season, the team’s No. 10 entry had a seat to fill and Gragson was at the top of the list to fill that vacancy.
On Wednesday, the team made the move official as Gragson was signed to be a part of the team’s four-car stable, joining fellow drivers Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, and Josh Berry.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity with Stewart-Haas Racing and while most people in the industry are happy that the offseason is here, I want to get started on 2024 and go racing as soon as I can,” Gragson said.
“Stewart-Haas is filled with racers and I saw that and felt it as soon as I walked onto the shop floor. There are high expectations here and a strong desire to compete and win races. I have high expectations for myself and I want to deliver for Tony and Gene and everyone at Stewart-Haas.”
Gragson has previously made 39 Cup Series starts in 2022 and 2023, with his lone top-five finish coming in August 2022 at Daytona.
From 2019 to 2022, Gragson drove full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, scoring 13 wins, as well as making the Championship 4 on two occasions – finishing a career-high second in points in 2022. Prior to that, he raced in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, winning a race in each of his two full-time seasons in 2017 and 2018.
“Noah deserves to be in the NASCAR Cup Series and we’re very happy to have him as the driver of our No. 10 Ford Mustang,” said Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart.
“Noah has performed at every level where he’s competed and has regularly been in championship contention. That’s the kind of driver we need at Stewart-Haas and that’s why Noah is a part of our team.”
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