Noah Gragson Aspiring to Emerge as a “Leader” at Struggling SHR After Kevin Harvick’s Exit

The 2024 Cup Series marks a new dawn for Tony Stewart and his NASCAR Cup Series team. After bidding farewell to two of its veterans, including Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick after a dismal season, Stewart-Haas Racing had found itself in troubled waters. Moreover, with a winless season, the team not only stands on eggshells to reinvent itself but also needs a member to fill in the shoes of Harvick. Harvick was always instrumental as he provided insights into the development of the team. As a result, the question that looms is who shall take up the reigns of the veteran.

Although the team is already marked with senior drivers, the dilemma is whether these drivers can take the role of a leader in SHR. The answer can be both ‘yes’ and ‘no’. However, it seems that the youngest driver of the team, Noah Gragson, already hopes to rise up to the occasion and fill in the void as revealed in his latest interview with the Stewart-Haas Racing.

Noah Gragson spills his hopes for his team Stewart-Haas Racing

Opportunities don’t come twice, but not for Noah Gragson. The former JR Motorsports driver received his second chance for redemption, after his disastrous 2023 season. Gragson, after serving his suspension, owing to his social media debacle, has replaced Aric Almirola in the #10 Ford car. Although the driver was on the verge of winning the Xfinity Series championship, he failed to translate similar results in his rookie year in the Cup Series.

The driver, before being suspended by NASCAR, had marked only an average finish of 28.2 in 22 races. He marked his best finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway where he finished 12th in the race. However, Gragson is set to bury his old past and start afresh in the 2024 season, as he hopes to turn the narrative of the team and take leads as Kevin Harvick. In his interview with Stewart-Haas Racing, Gragson expressed, “I think the biggest challenge is just staying positive as a group and there is going to be adversity and challenges but it’s how you react to those and keep everyone motivated as the leader for our team.”

“It’s important for me to have those relationships develop and have strong relationships with every team member of our group. So just keep it everybody on the same page tugging the same rope and excited to come to work every day.”

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Moreover, pouring appreciation for Gragson, his teammate Josh Berry also exclaimed his excitement. Berry was elated to have Gragson as teammate in his Cup Series stint, after driving for JR Motorsports. Moreover, Kevin Harvick’s successor also commented on Gragson’s unique personality, which makes others feel comfortable around him.

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While Gragson has stated his grand decisions for the 2024 season, the start of the season was assuredly not grand. Noah Gragson, driving the #10 Ford in the season opener race at LA Coliseum finished 20th in the race. 

Although the driver stated his overall satisfaction with the team’s performance of the team, he did not shy away from stating the lapses that occurred during the race.

In his post-race interview, Gragson expressed, “Our communication mishaps as a team going into the race with a modified schedule – we were misinformed on some stuff. Other than that, I’m proud of these guys and proud of the effort, thankful for all the hard work and just grateful to be out there. Our goal was to make the race and, although we want to win, we at least got to go out there and be a part of the show…I can’t wait to get back out there. We’ll clean it up for Daytona.”

With the exhibition race done and dusted, the focus shifts to the much-awaited race of the season, also termed the Great American Race. While Gragson’s pre season race didn’t go as planned, it will be interesting to see if he is able to turn the tables in the Daytona 500.

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