"It doesn't allow you to let down by any means" - Noah Gragson on signing multi-year deal with FRM
Stewart-Haas Racing driver Noah Gragson recently reflected on the significance of signing a multi-year deal with Front Row Motorsports. The 26-year-old driver is set to join FRM in 2025.
Only in his second full season in the Cup Series, former JR Motorsports star Noah Gragson has had a rollercoaster of a career. Gragson ran part-time in the Cup Series with Kaulig Racing in 2022 before securing a full-time ride with Legacy Motor Club last season. However, his maiden full-time campaign was marred by a suspension, leading to his release from the team.
After sitting out the remainder of the year, Gragson signed a multi-year deal with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), replacing veteran Aric Almirola. Yet again, hopes for a stable future were shattered when SHR announced it would shut down its operations and sell three of its four charters at the end of 2025.
In the midst of speculation, Noah Gragson has finally signed with Front Row Motorsports, a team on the rise in NASCAR. This marks his fourth Cup team in as many seasons, highlighting the importance of a multi-year contract for the Las Vegas native.
Speaking to Frontstretch, Gragson emphasized the significance of this deal:
"Definitely it's good to get my feet underneath me over at Front Row. I don't want to say that I have some security but it (a multi-year contract) doesn't allow you to let down by any means or relax. I still want to push and continue to grow as a person and as a driver and learn as much as I can." [01:45]
"But at the same time it's nice that going into that second year, you'd be able to start out January 1st knowing people in the organization's names rather than meeting everybody a fresh new group of people. It allows a little bit of comfort there."
Noah Gragson dissects the mental model of racing with an uncertain future
Following SHR's announcement, the future of all four SHR drivers - Josh Berry, Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson and Ryan Preece - was uncertain. Briscoe was the first to secure a ride for 2025, signing with Joe Gibbs Racing, followed by Berry signing with Wood Brothers Racing.
Gragson, too, has now secured his future with FRM, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief. Discussing the period when he raced with this uncertainty, Noah Gragson told Frontstretch:
"The past two months I didn't know what I was gonna do and it's kinda worn on me a little bit. It's hard to keep your whole attention and focus on racing when you got other stuff in the back of your mind every minute of the day." [at o0:38]
"Even in the race car, when I'm racing different guys, if I run this guy hard, will it affect me and potential opportunities. So, I was thinking stuff like that inside the race car which I shouldn't have been, but it's kind of my natural human instinct."
Noah Gragson is currently 24th on the NASCAR Cup Series standings after 21 races. He has 354 points to his name, courtesy of six top-10 finishes.