Ever since Noah Gragson’s suspension was lifted by NASCAR, the internet has been rife with rumors about the next step in his career. Several names have come up over the past few weeks. Right now, it seems like Stewart-Haas Racing is where the 25-year-old could be headed. Of course, these are all rumors and nothing has been confirmed. But some legitimate sources have hinted at the move. It has gotten fans excited about Gragson and they have also speculated that Dale Earnhardt Jr could become a part of SHR in the near future.
Noah Gragson was one of the most promising drivers in the Cup Series field. Driving for Legacy Motor Club, the 25-year-old had delivered a few decent results. However, his career was brought to a halt midway through the season. Gragson’s antics on social media were widely criticized and NASCAR had no option but to suspend him.
Uncertainties and rumors surround SHR’s silly season
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Fans had been calling for Noah Gragson’s reinstatement and NASCAR only recently obliged them. Since then, the 25-year-old has been racing as a part-time driver in the NASCAR Pinty’s Series. A multi-time race winner in both the Truck and Xfinity Series races, there was never any doubt that Noah Gragson would be in demand after his suspension was lifted.
There have been rumors about several teams being interested in the 25-year-old’s services, but perhaps none were as concrete as the Stewart-Haas Racing one. Aric Almirola’s future in NASCAR is up in smoke. There are strong indications that the veteran may retire at the end of the 2023 season. So Tony Stewart will have to get a replacement in.
Given the options left in the driver’s market, Noah Gragson seems to be the most likely fit. Should Gragson join Tony Stewart’s team for the 2024 Cup Series season, the lineup would look like this – Josh Berry, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Preece, Noah Gragson.
DEVELOPING: Sources close to @GarageGuysFS are telling me that Noah Gragson to SHR is a done deal and he will in fact be piloting the #10 in the NASCAR Cup Series come 2024.
Official announcement coming soon.#NASCAR https://t.co/lWsPGJI45B
— Chase Holden (@GarageGuyChase) October 27, 2023
Barring Chase Briscoe, one entity connects all the SHR drivers – Dale Earnhardt Jr. Berry, Preece, and Gragson have all raced for Junior’s JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. While Preece was only a part-timer in 2019, Berry and Gragson have had multiple full-time seasons with the team.
There have been rumors that Dale Earnhardt Jr is looking for a move to the Cup Series as a team owner after a successful run with JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series. With three former JRM drivers joining SHR, fans believe that it is only a matter of time before a deal is signed between Junior and Tony Stewart.
NASCAR Fans speculate Dale Earnhardt Jr’s future with Tony Stewart
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NASCAR fans have always been known to be expressive and they did not shy away from being opinionated on Reddit about the matter. And why would they? Dale Earnhardt Jr and Tony Stewart running a team together? That’s box office news!
“Noah Gregson and Josh berry…is SHR slowly turning into JRM?” one fan asked.
“SHR to soon turn out to be JR Motorsports ? 👀👀👀” said another.
Some fans are convinced that Dale Earnhardt Jr would eventually buy a stake in Stewart-Haas Racing and gradually take over all operations. It may sound far-fetched, but in NASCAR, who knows?
“Just wait for all the offseason posts about how Dale Jr is going to buy a majority stake of SHR and heck bring Martin Truex along too,” one fan wrote.
“It won’t be a majority stake, but I do believe some type of buy in will happen,” quipped another.
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“I wouldn’t be surprised if Tony ends up selling his stacks to someone like JR. or someone like that. And gene slowing Steps down. And JR. Takes over that team,” another user added.
However, SHR fans are not entirely happy with the lineup. With two seasoned veterans like Almirola and Kevin Harvick leaving the team, experience is in short supply.
“man with that lineup of inexperienced drivers and struggling performance wise it’s not looking good. unless they win this weekend, they’re going winless for the first time ever and unless they pull one out of their a** next year I don’t see it happening then either,” one fan wrote.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr coming to the Cup Series in any capacity would be huge news! If it happens with a team as big as SHR, it would probably make NASCAR social media go into a frenzy. Do you think Junior will buy a stake in SHR? Let us know your thoughts.
Watch This story: NASCAR’s 2024 Schedule: A New Chapter Begins