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Noah Gragson could be back as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver for the 2024 season, as he is touted to replace the retiring Aric Almirola at Stewart Haas Racing.
NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass first reported Gragson as a likely candidate for the #10 SHR Ford seat. He shed light on the rookie's career, whose 2023 campaign with Legacy Motor Club came to an abrupt halt after he was suspended for liking an offensive meme.
Gragson's speculative move to Stewart Haas Racing is further bolstered by the latest evidence, where the 25-year-old was spotted in the SHR shop in the off-season.
The image uploaded by Avery Williams (@SpinoExx) is going viral on social media as NASCAR fans are awaiting official confirmation on Noah Gragson's future destination in the Cup Series.
One user on X (formerly Twitter) suggested that Gragson's move to Stewart Haas Racing is already a done deal.
"I think that pretty much confirms it." the user wrote.
Here are a few other reactions to Noah Gragson being spotted in the SHR garage:
Noah Gragson opens up about NASCAR suspension and learnings from sensitivity training
Noah Gragson was suspended by NASCAR earlier this season for liking an insensitive post on Instagram. Soon after the incident came to light on August 5, he was suspended by Legacy Motor Club and NASCAR.
After parting ways with the Cup Series team co-owned by Jimmie Johnson, Gragson was mandated to go through a sensitivity program (RISE) to be reinstated in the stock car series.
The former #42 Chevy driver completed the program in early September. He reflected on the training, admitting he was uneducated and ingorant about other aspects of life outside racing.
“I was quite frankly uneducated and just ignorant,” Gragson told Sportsnaut at the Snowball derby. “I’ve had a lot of conversations with a lot of different people, put in a lot of time and effort to learn and understand things that I just didn’t know anything about.”
He added that the RISE program may become one of the most positive experiences of his life.
“The RISE program, they really took me step-by-step and allowed me to ask questions about things that I didn’t understand,” Gragson said. “Five years from now, whenever from now, this will be one of the best things that has ever happened to me. To be able to educate myself and learn, to become more open-minded, and I really was so closed-minded, selfish and didn’t really take time to understand what other people were going through or their situations.”
Despite having a forgettable rookie season, Gragson may be get a second chance to enter his sophomore season as a NASCAR driver.
