NASCAR: 5 possible landing spots for Noah Gragson in 2023
By Randy Smith
Noah Gragson landing spots: No. 4 – Petty GMS Motorsports
Sticking with Chevrolet could be in Noah Gragson’s plans to enter the NASCAR Cup Series, as all three teams for which he currently competes are Chevrolet teams. Another Chevrolet team that could lure Gragson to the Cup Series full-time is Petty GMS Motorsports.
The team currently fields both the #42 Chevrolet and the #43 Chevrolet for Ty Dillon and Erik Jones, respectively. The statuses of both drivers for next year are unknown, but Jones has seemed to fit behind the wheel of the #43 car, adding stability and consistency to a car that hasn’t won since 2014.
Maury Gallagher Jr. may have some loyalty attached to Dillon, as he was originally named the driver for their single-car GMS Racing team before they merged with Richard Petty Motorsports.
Dillon has sponsorship from Black Riffle Coffee Company, but so does Gragson. Gragson is not only younger than Dillon, but he has arguably made a more successful bid to compete in the Cup Series than Dillon did. Gragson would enter the series with at least seven Xfinity Series wins to his name. Dillon had just one.
For Petty GMS Motorsports, if they were to re-sign Jones and bring Gragson on board, the team would have two younger drivers who could give them a solid chance to make the playoffs year in and year out. Jones currently sits below the playoff cut line, but he does sit in the top 16 in the point standings. Most notably, he ranks 10 spots ahead of Dillon.
Moving on from Dillon after just a year of commitment may seem unlikely for the newly merged team, but it wouldn’t be for a lost cause if Gragson is brought on board. Still, the idea of giving Dillon another year in the Gen 7 car with the team could be Petty GMS Motorsports’ best option overall, which would eliminate Gragson from consideration.