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[Editor’s note: The following article is from Athlon Sports’ 2025 Racing Annual magazine. Order your copy online today, or buy one at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]
If Noah Gragson doesn’t like roller coasters, you can’t blame him, because his Cup Series career has been a heck of a wild ride thus far.
After a partial season in 2022, when he raced for teams ranging from tiny, underfunded Beard Motorsports to gargantuan Hendrick Motorsports, filling in for an injured Alex Bowman, Gragson landed a full-time ride with Legacy Motor Club for 2023. He was let go from that gig after 21 races, following a social media incident that violated the team’s standards and was also suspended by NASCAR.
In 2024, Gragson was picked up by Stewart-Haas Racing, rehabbing both his career and his personal image. It looked like the perfect partnership … until the team announced its closure at season’s end.
Noah Gragson 2024 stats
| Starts | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Poles | DNF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
36 |
0 |
1 |
7 |
0 |
6 |
For 2025, the Las Vegas racer joins Front Row Motorsports, a mid-tier organization with the equipment to contend for the occasional win and plenty of room for improvement. He replaces veteran Michael McDowell on the roster, joined by crew chief Drew Blickensderfer, who formerly paired with Gragson at Stewart-Haas Racing.
Gragson brings to FRM the most aggressive driving style the veteran organization has ever had. He leaves nothing on the racetrack, but it often costs him, crashing out of six races last year. Those DNFs derailed an otherwise promising season, after a spurt of three top-10 finishes last spring found him on the fringes of the playoff race before fading as SHR wound down operations.
If Gragson gets settled in somewhere, the upside is massive. In four seasons with JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, he won a total of 13 races and never finished lower than eighth in points. He has two wins in the Craftsman Truck Series, the first coming at just 19 years old, and a runner-up points finish (2018). He’s obviously got the skill to help Front Row.
Gragson’s maturity is still a question mark, though. He has grown up following his suspension, but still has a volatile temper. He’s not the loose cannon he was in his Xfinity days, but still needs to channel frustration into smarter moves on-track and calculated communication with his team instead of blind aggression.
Noah Gragson career stats
| Years | Starts | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 |
75 |
0 |
2 |
8 |
0 |
The team lacks top-tier sponsorship, but has patched together a rotation of backers including MillerTech, Zep, and Rush Truck Centers.
Regardless, Gragson will be one to watch this year, motivated to prove himself. The right mix could create a breakout season in his new digs.
The Noah Gragson file
Car: No. 4 Ford
Team: Front Row Motorsports
Crew chief: Randel Burnett
Years with current team: 1st
Best points finish: 24 (2024)
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Born: July 15, 1998
Scouting report
Anonymous takes from drivers, crew chiefs, and assorted industry insiders:
“Matured dramatically, and he had to,” says a broadcaster, pointedly. “I’m not really sure what his ceiling as a driver is because we don’t have enough information yet. He is a different person since coming back from his suspension and I like that person a lot.”
“The kid is all heart,” says a journalist. “There is a really genuine guy under all the controversy over the years. He’s starting to mentor younger drivers, and that might scare the heck out of you until you realize that he understands that messing up again would let those kids down, and that really scares him more than anything.”
“The first time I raced Noah up front I wasn’t sure what to expect,” says a veteran driver. “But he raced me clean. I got the impression he really cared about earning my respect. I’m going to remember that.” that way but I’m going to remember it. I hope to see him up there more next year because he could be really good for the sport if he gets this part right.”
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TODAY'S BEST
Kyle Larson comes up one spot shy of second straight Brickyard 400 win
Sunday's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway appeared to be playing right into Kyle Larson's hands. A caution for rain with six laps to go gave Larson, who was over three seconds behind race leader Bubba Wallace at the time of the yellow, a shot to race Wallace for the win on a restart. Larson had taken four tires on his previous pit stop as opposed to Wallace's two. He had also pitted two laps later than Wallace, giving him a slight fuel advantage. While Wallace cleared Larson on the first overtime restart, a caution bunched the field back up and appeared to put Larson in the catbird's seat, as Wallace was reportedly on the verge of running out of gas. But once again, Wallace cleared Larson for the lead. Wallace's fuel tank didn't go dry, and all Larson could do was watch as Wallace flew under the checkered flag at IMS and denied Larson a second consecutive Brickyard 400 triumph. "The first (restart) played out a little bit better," Larson told TNT Sports. "(When) the leader has the inside, it's really hard to beat that. Kind of just hoping for some good fortune again with fuel and whatnot. Regardless, proud of my team today." "Wish we could've been one spot better."
Kirk Cousins makes notable leadership move after Falcons practice
Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.
Oilers to Acquire a Top-Tier Goalie. An Official Trade Offer Is on the Table in a Blockbuster Deal
Steelers reporter shares big claim about how Aaron Rodgers has looked in training camp
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers spent the bulk of the spring as an unsigned free agent and, thus, only began officially practicing with Pittsburgh Steelers teammates during the team's three-day mandatory minicamp in June. During a Monday appearance on Pittsburgh radio station 102.5 WDVE, Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette addressed how Rodgers looked during his first few training camp practices with the club. "His release is just astonishing to watch," Dulac said about Rodgers, as shared by Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. "Everybody knows about it, and when you see it in person, you see it every day in practice, you just marvel at it. To me, he's the greatest thrower of the football I have ever seen, even at 41 (years old). That flick of that wrist and that ball comes out, it's moving and it is something to see." Rodgers was with the New York Jets when he suffered a torn Achilles four offensive snaps into the 2023 regular-season opener. He was then slowed by a nagging hip issue, injuries to both his knees, a low ankle sprain and a serious hamstring problem as the 2024 Jets went 5-12. According to Pro Football Reference, Rodgers finished last season ranked 28th in the NFL among qualified players with a 48.0 adjusted QBR and 26th with a 43.9 percent passing success rate. That said, he was also eighth with 3,897 passing yards and tied for seventh with 28 passing touchdowns. Rodgers and Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson endured some struggles during training camp sessions last summer before the two allegedly "never saw eye-to-eye" during the season. It sounds like Pittsburgh fans should be encouraged by how Rodgers performed in recent practices. "That guy can get rid of the ball as quick as anybody," Dulac added. "He made three throws in seven-on-seven (drills) the other day that the cumulative total I bet couldn't have exceeded 2.1 seconds. And two of those were for touchdowns." Rodgers wants to finish his career "the right way" and help the Steelers notch at least their first playoff win since January 2017. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Pittsburgh at -150 betting odds to miss the playoffs for the upcoming season.
Cubs in danger of making enormous trade-deadline mistake
Boasting a 62-44 record in the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs are still searching for a way to pull ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers took sole possession of first place in the division from the Cubs in an 8-4 win on Monday. Chicago will get its chance before the three-game set is over, but if the Cubs should fall to the Brewers, the trade deadline will be viewed as essential for their World Series chances. Several rumors of Chicago’s interest in starters, relievers and third basemen have swirled nonstop. And while they have shown interest in several quality names — Mitch Keller, Eugenio Suárez, MacKenzie Gore — some of their other trade targets are less than ideal. Among their worst sources of interest (if not, the worst) is struggling Braves reliever Raisel Iglesias, who is in his walk year. Hiding behind his shining 2.99 career ERA is a rather shocking, career-high 4.97 ERA, to which he has pitched this season. He is still a strikeout pitcher, having accumulated 46 Ks in 41.2 innings, but his run prevention capabilities have seemingly deteriorated. It was only last season when Iglesias posted a stellar 1.95 ERA. Since then, his home run total doubled, from surrendering just four last year to eight so far this year. His opponent batting average has also jumped, from .160 to .250. Iglesias is no stranger to success. He threw to ERAs south of 3.00 in eight of his 11 MLB years. However, this season, he just doesn’t appear to have it. Any team that trades for Iglesias in the last year of his contract would be betting that he can return to elite form before the season is over. Taking a risk on a pitcher like Iglesias in his current condition, especially when there are several other more reliable arms on the market, would be ill-advised. And for the Cubs, who are in a win-now position, having secured one guaranteed year of Kyle Tucker, taking a gamble on Iglesias could easily risk everything they worked for this season.
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