NASCAR
Noah Gragson to Compete in 2023 Cup Series with Petty GMS Racing
STATESVILLE, N.C. – The first rookie of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series is confirmed. Noah Gragson will take over the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro for Petty GMS Racing, marking his first venture in NASCAR’s premier division. At 24 years old and with four years of Xfinity Series experience, the time has come for Gragson to make the transition to racing on Sundays. Gragson will be filling in the vacancy left by Ty Dillon, moving up from the JR Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet.
“It’s all come together really fast,” Gragson said Wednesday afternoon at the Petty GMS shop. “But Maury, Mike, Richard, and everybody involved has made it happen. Dave Elenz, who crew chiefs the No. 43 this year, I’ve worked with him for the last three years. With where I’m at right now in my career with JR Motorsports, and how that operation is run with Dale and Kelley, their whole atmosphere, is kind of what I see over here at Petty GMS. I see a very family-centric atmosphere, great people, and great leaders. For a 24-year-old guy, I’m running a part-time season in the Cup Series now to get my feet wet. For them to take the opportunity, see what we’ve done over the past couple of years and want to hire me is surely humbling. It’s time to go to work next year.”
So far in 2022, Gragson has three Xfinity wins and is currently fourth in regular season standings. His most recent win was just two weeks ago in Pocono. In addition to his full-time Xfinity efforts, Gragson has made select Cup starts this season with Kaulig Racing and Beard Motorsports. Through nine races so far in the 16 or 62, Gragson has a best result of 18th at Kansas. However, Gragson was well inside the top-10 before crashing out last week at Michigan.
At the moment, Gragson is the lone contender for Rookie of the Year honors for 2023. That will likely change though, so stay tuned for any continuing updates to NASCAR silly season. Specific information on Gragson’s team such as crew chief and sponsors are also TBD. Just how Gragson fares in his first Cup season will be interesting to follow all year long in 2023. Can Gragson now leave the Xfinity Series on top with a championship?
Written by Peter Stratta
Be sure to follow us on Twitter
Be sure to follow the writer on Twitter
Photo Credit to Logan Riely/Getty Images for NASCAR
