NASCAR: 5 Xfinity Series drivers poised for future Cup moves
By Asher Fair
Xfinity Series drivers poised for Cup moves: Noah Gragson
When Noah Gragson made the decision to leave Toyota after the 2018 NASCAR Truck Series season, which he spent with Kyle Busch Motorsports, for Chevrolet and JR Motorsports, he immediately put himself in the discussion to potentially replace Jimmie Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports whenever Johnson decided to retire.
After going winless in his rookie year, Gragson, who sits in third place in the championship standings, secured his first career victory at Daytona International Speedway and then added a victory at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Two potential victories got away from him at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as he dominated both races there before late caution flag periods sunk him.
While Gragson won’t be promoted to the Cup Series for 2021, he is still in the mix for a future seat there.
Hendrick Motorsports have picked two young drivers from the JR Motorsports pool in recent years, promoting Chase Elliott in 2016 and William Byron in 2018. Don’t forget that Rick Hendrick owns the #9 Chevrolet that Gragson drives, and both Elliott and Byron drove that car to Xfinity Series championships before their promotions.
Gragson is one of the favorites to advance to the Championship 4 and potentially win the championship, something which eluded him in the Truck Series, and doing so would go a long way to help his case, especially with mounting questions about his readiness to compete at the sport’s highest level in regard to maturity.
If Hendrick Motorsports sign a veteran to replace Johnson for next year on a one-year deal or even a two-year deal, that could open the door for Gragson to end up there in 2022 or 2023.