On Wednesday, Front Row Motorsports announced Noah Gragson will be piloting one their three entries starting in 2025. At the time of the announcement, details about number, crew chief, and sponsors were not released. Gragson will join Todd Gilliland and one other driver to fill out Front Row’s 2025 lineup. The deal will be a multi-year agreement, with Front Row expecting Gragson to be there “for a long time”.
🚨NEWS🚨
We’re excited to announce @NoahGragson will be driving for FRM in 2025 and beyond! pic.twitter.com/LWlpdzEObW
— Front Row Motorsports (@Team_FRM) July 10, 2024
Also confirmed during the press conference was Front Row’s continued alliance with Team Penske. Along with the Penske alliance, that Tier 1 Ford status will continue. Expectation would be that sponsorship will be a mixture between Gragson sponsors and Front Row team sponsors.
Noah Gragson was the primary target for Front Row, according to Jerry Freeze. This interest stemmed prior to the knowledge of Stewart-Haas Racing shutting down. Once the closure of Stewart-Haas Racing was confirmed, Front Row immediately started to contact Gragson about driving for them. Gragson was their preferred driver, so they worked diligently to sign him.
As for the additional details, Freeze stated that they are close to finalizing a deal for Gragson’s crew chief. Additionally, Front Row is not locked into which driver will run what number. However, Todd Gilliland would likely retain his 38 number moving forward.
Noah Gragson is in the midst of a bounce back season. Last year, Gragson arguably had the worst rookie season for a promising Cup prospect ever. Through 21 races, he failed to score a Top-10 while averaging a finish of 28.2 with Legacy Motor Club. Then, Gragson got booted from his ride after liking a controversial meme on social media. After spending the remainder of the season out of NASCAR, the Las Vegas native signed with Stewart-Haas Racing to replace a semi-retired Aric Almirola. Clearly, Gragson’s 2024 has been a vast improvement upon his rookie season. At the time of the announcement, Gragson has already racked up 6 Top-10s.
Prior to the season, there were questions whether Gragson would be worth the potential pushback from sponsors. It is one thing to sign a driver off the back of a controversy. However, signing one after that disastrous season puts massive pressure on the driver to perform. Luckily for Gragson, he has demonstrated the talent that many expected from him in the Cup Series. Plus, there has been no drama off the track. With both of those boxes checked, it put Gragson in a desirable position for silly season.
If Noah Gragson can continue his 2024 performance with Front Row, that will give the team a young foundation to continue their ascension. The Tier One status with Ford along with the alliance with Team Penske has paid off thus far. Both Front Row entries have been competitive throughout the season, including a combined 9 Top-10s and 3 poles. Gilliland is in triple digits for laps led and McDowell has demonstrated race winning speed at times. That speed will need to continue stretched across three teams next year though. Without the presence of a veteran, that will apply ample pressure to the trio of drivers to maintain the speed.
Wednesday’s announcement marks the third Stewart-Haas Racing driver to official sign with a new Cup team for 2025. Chase Briscoe is heading to Joe Gibbs Racing while Josh Berry signed with the Wood Brothers. Ryan Preece remains as the sole Cup driver without a 2025 ride. Based on the silly season rumor mill, Preece is unlikely to stay in the Cup Series.
As for Front Row Motorsports, they still have one seat left fill after the departure of Michael McDowell and the acquisition of a third charter. During the press conference, Bob Jenkins confirmed that all three drivers for next year will be young. Recent rumors indicate that Xfinity Series standout Sam Mayer is the favorite to land that ride. Mayer, who broke out in the second half of 2024, was vocal after his Iowa win about feeling deserving of a Cup ride. Since 2023, Mayer has racked up 6 wins along with a Championship Four appearance. With no Cup opportunities inside the Chevy camp, the move would be sensible for Mayer.
However, it is interesting to note that Jenkins said that all three 2025 drives have “gotten the first couple years out of the way”. Now, if he means NASCAR experience, then Mayer fits that description. If he means Cup Series experience, that would imply that Mayer is not the third driver. Using the interpretation implying Cup experience, Zane Smith or Kaz Grala would be contenders for that third seat.
Based on the news conference Wednesday, Front Row will have rejuvenated their driver lineup with youth. Todd Gilliland would be the veteran of the group, entering his fourth Cup season in 2025 at the age of 24. Technically, Gragson would be the elder statesman in terms of age. While Front Row has been on the rise in recent seasons, the lack of a true veteran on the team will bring concerns of consistency.
Gilliland has been on a steady progression path, but being the leader in the lineup will place him center stage. Will that bring additional pressure to alter his performance? Despite the rebound this season, it is not a guarantee that 2024 Noah Gragson will continue into 2025. If Mayer is the third driver, rookies are always question marks, especially with the NextGen car. It is unlikely Mayer will get any NextGen seat time this season, so he will be learning on the fly throughout next season. Meanwhile, Zane Smith is in the midst of his own terrible rookie season. Whoever the third driver is, it looks to be the largest question mark of the trio.
Front Row Motorsports will be a pivotal team to watch next season. Will the youth movement help propel them upward or stall out the steady progress the team has experienced thus far?
