NASCAR: 5 playoff drivers who have no need to panic
By Asher Fair
NASCAR drivers who don’t need to panic: No. 5 – Noah Gragson
We wrap up this list with another NASCAR Xfinity Series championship contender from a year ago, that being rookie Noah Gragson of Petty GMS Motorsports.
Petty GMS Motorsports haven’t had the strongest of starts to the 2023 Cup Series season, but they have run better than their results indicate. All three of their drivers were strong in the Daytona 500, and Gragson found his way to the front at Auto Club Speedway.
Unfortunately, his finishes of 24th and 22nd place have him mired all the way back in 27th in the point standings.
Petty GMS Motorsports showed throughout the 2022 season that they are a team on the rise, and the addition of seven-time champion and 83-time race winner Jimmie Johnson as a co-owner and part-time driver should only help that continue to be the case.
While Erik Jones didn’t qualify for last year’s playoffs, he finished the regular season in the top 16 in the point standings and won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Like Gragson, he has had a stronger start to the 2023 season than his results indicate, as he only ranks 32nd in points.
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There is little doubt that the upside is there for this young team, and if anyone can take advantage of that in his rookie season, it’s the driver who won an Xfinity Series-best eight races, including a record-tying four in a row, last year before his promotion to the sport’s top level.