NASCAR: 5 possible landing spots for Noah Gragson in 2023

Noah Gragson’s success in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season has made him one of the top drivers seeking to enter the Cup Series in 2023.

Noah Gragson made his NASCAR Cup Series debut this season in the “Great American Race” when he drove the #62 Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports. After failing to qualify for the Daytona 500 last year, Gragson honored the late team owner Mark Beard and wife Linda by doing so this year in one of the non-chartered cars.

Additionally, Gragson has run a part-time schedule for Kaulig Racing in the Cup Series, driving the #16 Chevrolet. Between both teams, his best finish in six starts so far this year is an 18th place effort at Kansas Speedway.

Outside of the Cup Series, Gragson has become a real threat for the 2022 Xfinity Series championship, driving the #9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. In his fourth season in the series, he has already shown what he can do at the site of the Championship 4 race, Phoenix Raceway. He earned the first of his two wins this season at the track back in March.

With the Las Vegas, Nevada native only on a one-year contract with JR Motorsports, Cup Series teams will likely show interest in signing Gragson for a 2023 ride. Here are five possible landing spots for him in 2023.

Noah Gragson landing spots: No. 5 – JTG Daugherty Racing

JTG Daugherty Racing downsized from two cars to one after 2021, opting not to run the #37 Chevrolet that had been driven by Ryan Preece.

They instead elected to run only the #47 Chevrolet, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. returning as the full-time driver. Stenhouse is believed to be on a one-year contract. This year, Stenhouse has scored five top 10 finishes, and a top five finish, but he is still seeking his first playoff berth with the team since joining in 2020.

For Gragson, the #47 Chevrolet would be a safe bet to get into the Cup Series, given the fact that it is a chartered car with sponsorship from Kroger and its partners. For JTG Daugherty Racing, the youth and upside Gragson brings versus the veteran status of Stenhouse, who hasn’t won a race since 2017, could be appealing as well.

However, Stenhouse has brought a sense of consistency with the team, especially with a recent run of solid results, so it’s more likely than not the team will decide to keep him for another season. The #47 Chevrolet is not an impossible landing spot for Gragson, but it is not the most ideal, either.