NASCAR: New driver emerging as possible Jimmie Johnson replacement?

Has JR Motorsports NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Noah Gragson emerged as a candidate to replace Jimmie Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports next year?

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson announced after the 2019 season came to an end that the 2020 season would be his 19th and final season as the full-time driver of the #48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports.

We are now 15 races into the 36-race 2020 season, although we would be a little bit farther into it had the coronavirus pandemic not resulted in an unexpected 10-week hiatus that lasted from Sunday, March 8 to Sunday, May 17.

There was some uncertainty as to whether Johnson would actually end up retiring after the 2020 season depending on how the pandemic played out, but he recently confirmed that this is still his plan.

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Hendrick Motorsports still haven’t named Johnson’s replacement, although this wasn’t unexpected given the comments that came from the team after Johnson made his announcement.

They did recently sign Alex Bowman to a contract extension, meaning that three of their four drivers are signed through next year. Bowman could theoretically drive the #48 Chevrolet as Johnson’s replacement because it is already fully funded with sponsorship from Ally Financial, but the team would still need to look elsewhere to find a fourth driver.

Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski has emerged as the runaway favorite to replace Johnson next year, especially given the unfortunate situation that went down with ex-Chip Ganassi Racing driver Kyle Larson during the 10-week hiatus.

Keselowski is the only one of Team Penske’s three drivers who is not under contract through the 2021 season, and he has ties to Rick Hendrick that extend to before he began competing full-time in 2010.

But there is no guarantee that the 2012 champion will leave Roger Penske’s team after this year. After going more than one year without a win, he recently won two races. Would he really walk away from a team where he already has a chance to win on most weekends?

Before the hiatus, he shot down retirement rumors and stated that while he won’t be “dialing out” looking for other rides, he would be willing to listen to offers from other teams should they dial in.

There are other experienced drivers out there who could make the move as well. Wood Brothers Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto has been discussed, and Go Fas Racing’s Corey LaJoie penned Hendrick a letter before the season about the matter. Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Clint Bowyer and Aric Almirola are also pending free agents.

But another driver who has been discussed is Noah Gragson, who competes for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series. After going winless in his rookie season last year, Gragson has emerged as a championship contender with two victories so far this season.

Through 12 races, he sits in second place in the championship standings behind Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe by just three points, and he should probably be leading with four wins to his name in 2020, given the fact that he dominated both races at Homestead-Miami Speedway but lost the lead due to late caution flag periods in both.

Here is what Gragson had to say about his future after his recent runner-up finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway in early June, according to NASCAR.

"“I’m fighting for a job right now. Don’t really know what I’m going to do next year. All I can do is focus on today. All I can do is focus on this race team and on myself to be better. It’s a cut-throat sport. … Definitely very grateful to be driving these race cars with such big-name logos on the hood. Right now, nothing’s given to you in this world, so you have to fight every single day, every minute to do the best job possible on and off the race track.“At the end of the day, it’s me, I need to step up. I feel like I’m doing everything I can right now, just trying to stay focused, stay positive and do everything I can. I feel like if I can do the best job I can do on and off the race track, I can’t do any better.”"

Hendrick is the owner of the #9 Chevrolet which Gragson drives in the Xfinity Series, and he has made a habit of promoting the drivers of the #9 Chevrolet to the Cup Series in recent years.

2014 Xfinity Series champion Chase Elliott was promoted to the Cup Series in 2016 after two seasons driving the #9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, and 2017 champion William Byron was promoted in 2018 after one.

Gragson is on a similar path to Byron as well, as he drove for Kyle Busch Motorsports and contended for a title in the Truck Series before leaving the Toyota camp to join the Chevrolet camp with JR Motorsports.

Promoting Gragson would leave the team with a four-driver lineup containing nobody above the age of 28, as Bowman is currently 27.

But Elliott, Bowman and Byron would be in their fourth season as teammates, with Elliott in his sixth season of full-time competition, so would it be absolutely necessary for them to replace Johnson with a veteran, especially if that veteran cannot be Keselowski?

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If Gragson can continue to piece together a successful Xfinity Series season and compete for the championship and Keselowski opts to extend his deal with Team Penske, don’t be surprised if the 21-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada native gets the call to join Hendrick Motorsports next year.

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