NASCAR: Noah Gragson to drive for Front Row Motorsports in 2025

Noah Gragson is heading to Front Row Motorsports in 2025.

The team announced Wednesday that Gragson would take over one of its three cars next season. Gragson is the third Stewart-Haas Racing driver to find a ride for next year after SHR said earlier this season that it would shut down at the end of 2024.

Gragson, 26, is currently 23rd in the points standings with one top five and six top-10 finishes. He’d be 21st in the standings if it wasn’t for a 35-point penalty for a technical infraction on his car earlier this season.

Front Row will be Gragson’s third Cup Series team in as many seasons. He was a rookie in 2023 for Legacy Motor Club but was suspended 22 races into the season after he liked a social media meme mocking the death of George Floyd.

He was hired by Stewart-Haas Racing to replace Aric Almirola ahead of this season. His best finish so far is a third at Talladega this spring.

Gragson’s announcement leaves Ryan Preece as the only SHR driver without announced plans for 2025. Chase Briscoe is heading to Joe Gibbs Racing to replace the retiring Martin Truex Jr. and Josh Berry will take over the No. 21 Wood Brothers car for Harrison Burton next season.

SHR co-owner Gene Haas is retaining one of the team’s charters and will run a Cup Series car next season along with two Xfinity Series teams. The Cup Series driver for that team hasn’t been announced, but it could be Cole Custer, the son of SHR executive Joe Custer. Cole Custer has driven in the Cup Series for SHR — and won at Kentucky in 2020 — and currently drives for the team in the Xfinity Series.

Gragson’s arrival at Front Row leaves one more spot for the team to fill ahead of next season. Michael McDowell is leaving for Spire Motorsports, while Todd Gilliland is returning to the team. Front Row currently fields two Cup Series cars but has already announced that it’s purchasing a charter from SHR for 2025 and will expand to three teams.