Noah Gragson is getting another chance.
The 25-year-old NASCAR Cup Series driver, who was suspended in August for liking a racially insensitive post on social media, is back on the grid for 2024 after agreeing to a multi-year deal with Stewart-Haas Racing to drive the No. 10 Ford Mustang.
Gragson was suspended on August 5 and reinstated by NASCAR on Sept. 12. His most recent Cup Series start for Legacy Motor Club came on July 30 at Richmond.
Gragson has one top-five finish in 39 career Cup Series starts. He is a 13-time winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and was that series’ runner-up for the championship in 2022.
“Noah deserves to be in the NASCAR Cup Series and we’re very happy to have him as the driver of our No. 10 Ford Mustang,” said Tony Stewart, who co-owns Stewart-Haas with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas. “Noah has performed at every level where he’s competed and has regularly been in championship contention. That’s the kind of driver we need at Stewart-Haas and that’s why Noah is a part of our team.”
At Stewart-Haas, Gragson, who was granted his release from LMC on August 10, will replace the now-retired Aric Almirola.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity with Stewart-Haas Racing and while most people in the industry are happy that the offseason is here, I want to get started on 2024 and go racing as soon as I can,” said Gragson, whose average finish was 28th in 21 starts in 2023. “Stewart-Haas is filled with racers and I saw that and felt it as soon as I walked onto the shop floor. There are high expectations here and a strong desire to compete and win races. I have high expectations for myself and I want to deliver for Tony and Gene and everyone at Stewart-Haas.
“I race to win and winning at the Cup level is what I’ve been working toward since I started racing Bandoleros as a 13-year-old at the Bullring in Las Vegas. To be with an established team with a history of winning is what every driver wants. I’ve got exactly that here at Stewart-Haas and I aim to make the most of it.”
Drew Blickensderfer will serve as Gragson’s crew chief.
Mike Pryson covered auto racing for the Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot and MLive Media Group from 1991 until joining Autoweek in 2011. He won several Michigan Associated Press and national Associated Press Sports Editors awards for auto racing coverage and was named the 2000 Michigan Auto Racing Fan Club’s Michigan Motorsports Writer of the Year. A Michigan native, Mike spent three years after college working in southwest Florida before realizing that the land of Disney and endless summer was no match for the challenge of freezing rain, potholes and long, cold winters in the Motor City.
Read the full article here