Written by Sean McKean, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
On August 10, 2022, it was announced that JR Motorsports prospect Noah Gragson would be racing for Petty GMS Motorsports on a full-time schedule in 2023, driving the #42, which had previously been occupied by Ty Dillon, alongside Erik Jones. This announcement comes as no surprise, since it had been rumoured for the last few weeks.
The 24 year old has had a very successful junior career leading up to this, starting out in the NASCAR K&N Pro East Series. Here, he finished second and third in the standings in the 2015 and 2016 seasons respectfully. After this, he moved up to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Despite having a rather unspectacular first year in 2017, he still finished 10th in the standings with a win that came at Martinsville during the fall. In 2018, he stepped it up a notch for Kyle Busch, taking one win, eight top fives, and 17 top tens enroute to a second place points finish.
From 2019 till now, Noah has been racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports. In his time there, he has racked up eight wins, 52 top fives, and 85 top tens. In the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, he currently sits fourth in the standings with three wins, 11 top fives, 15 top tens, and three poles on the year. As it stands, he could be a serious threat for the Xfinity Series title. Going into 2023, Noah will be expected to perform at the level of his future teammate Erik Jones, who sits 14th in the standings with two top fives and eight top tens.
We wish Noah luck for his rookie cup series season!