For Stewart-Haas Racing, adding Noah Gragson to their lineup is a bit of a gamble, one Tony Stewart believes will pay off. Despite a disappointing rookie season on and off the track, Gragson has had a massive amount of success in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, something that Smoke doesn’t think is a fluke.
During that 2022 Xfinity Series season, Gragson was excellent. He was in a battle with Ty Gibbs all year long and it led to some heated moments on the track and more than a few great races. While he came up short in the championship, Gragson left his mark before leaving JR Motorsports.
Among his accomplishments was a four-race win streak that almost led him to a championship. For Tony Stewart, that skill and talent aren’t in question. You don’t win that many races because of luck or just because of good equipment.
Stewart is a believer in the new Noah Gragson.
“Obviously his talent behind the wheel we don’t need to explain that the stats show it with what he did in the Xfinity Series,” Stewart said in a video from Stewart-Haas Racing. “Literally his transformation into who he is as a person now I think is going to make him an even better race car driver than he’s ever been. He’s got the talent, he’s got the motivations, he’s got the drive, and now he’s got focus on his personal life and how to channel that energy into positive things so I think we’re going to see a lot of great things out of him.”
Noah Gragson did not have an ideal rookie season. He was thrown into a team he didn’t even originally sign with. When Gragson signed his Cup Series deal, it was with Petty-GMS Racing. Enter Jimmie Johnson, it becomes Legacy Motor Club, then enters Toyota, and Gragson was left in a peculiar position.
While a lot could go wrong in 2024, Tony Stewart seems to believe that his new driver will show improvement. He’s taking over a car that finished 22nd overall in the points with Aric Almirola this past season. A top-20 year would do a lot for Gragson as a driver and SHR as an organization.
Tony Stewart believes in the new Noah Gragson
So, what do we expect from Noah Gragson? I think you have to expect some level of improvement. If Gragson goes through 2024 and is unable to get into the top-20 most races, he’s going to be right back where he was with Legacy Motor Club.
One thing that could help Noah, the new Mustang Dark Horse. With the new Ford body, we could see the blue ovals as a whole improve. There were times in the season Ford lagged behind their competitors. A new body promises to change that.
I do think personality-wise, Gragson fits in with Tony Stewart and SHR. He will once again be teammates with Josh Berry. He’s a guy that likes to do things his own way. Gragson enjoys being a wild child and making noise. He has to have the results to back it up though.
When the season is all said and done in 2024, Stewart and his organization are going to just hope Gragson has shown improvement. It would be difficult to be any worse than he was this season, but it isn’t impossible.
What does next year hold in store for Gragson?
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