Tony Stewart Set to Trigger Noah Gragson’s Cup Revival, Similar to Rick Hendrick’s Kyle Larson Masterstroke

Earlier this year, NASCAR driver Noah Gragson fell out of favor with the Legacy Motor Club team. After he reportedly responded favorably to an offensive Instagram Reel, the team and NASCAR chose to suspend him. While the suspension was lifted soon, he parted ways with the team and has not been racing competitively in the NASCAR Cup Series. Fortunately for him, it now looks like he could be back in action very soon in 2024, thanks to Tony Stewart.

When the 2023 NASCAR Cup season wrapped up, everyone knew that it would be Kevin Harvick‘s final season. Later on, it transpired that Aric Almirola would also not return to the NASCAR Cup Series. This has left Stewart-Haas Racing with two empty seats and two senior figures absent from the team. Fortunately, Josh Berry has been roped in to pilot the #4 Ford as Harvick’s successor. That leaves Almirola’s #10 berth up for grabs, and that is where Gragson could come into play.

Noah Gragson and Stewart-Haas Racing’s move could mirror Kyle Larson and Hendrick Motorsports

Back in late 2020, Kyle Larson landed himself in hot water for accidentally using a racial slur. As a result, the then Chip Ganassi Racing team terminated his contract, and he was out of a job. Fortunately, Rick Hendrick elected to take a gamble on Larson and roped him in. What’s actually interesting is that Larson’s arrival also preceded the departure of another NASCAR legend, Jimmie Johnson. Sure, Larson was not the official replacement of Johnson, as Alex Bowman was moved to the #48 car. Similarly, Gragson is replacing Almirola, while at the same time, Harvick is leaving the Tony Stewart-led team.

Of course, Stewart-Haas Racing is still very tight-lipped on the identity of the new #10 driver. Though many believe that Noah Gragson is the odds-on favorite. The good news for the driver is that he has served his sentence and has since been reinstated by NASCAR.

As per Fox Sports, Gragson stated, “I want to express my sincere gratitude to NASCAR for reinstating me. Over the past several weeks, I have dedicated myself to personal growth and reflection, and I believe I have become a better person because of it. I couldn’t have done it without the support of my family and the NASCAR industry.”

Up until now, these are still rumors at the end of the day, and there is no official confirmation yet. However, one does have to wonder: If Gragson does end up with the organization, will he perform like Larson?

To be precise, will he be bang on the money and be competitive for the team, right off the bat? Well, the 2023 season was his full-time Cup Series debut before it was brutally cut short. Meanwhile, Larson had been in the game for several years before his big move to Hendrick Motorsports.

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If Noah Gragson moves to Stewart-Haas Racing, can he be a leader?

Once again, this will be a season of rebuilding for SHR, as they have lost two senior figures on the team. So Gragson and fellow recruit Josh Berry will be part of one of the ‘lesser experienced’ line-ups in 2024. On the other side of the garage, Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece will have to try to step up and lead from the front. As of the 2024 Cup Series campaign, Briscoe is the senior figure in the Stewart-Haas Racing organization.

Now the big question is, if Gragson is recruited, will he step up as the team leader? Without a doubt, he is a pretty talented driver and even finished 2nd in the 2022 Xfinity Series championship. Even during his relatively short stint with Legacy Motor Club, Gragson was fairly alright as a racing driver. Though it is worth mentioning that he is fairly temperamental, so he has to try and keep a lid on his temper.

Hopefully, this suspension and time away from the racetrack would have helped him mature. However, suggesting that he could transform his Cup Series career with a change of teams is a bit of a stretch. Kyle Larson managed just fine because the Hendrick Motorsports team is one of the best teams in the NASCAR Cup Series. So it didn’t take long for the #5 driver to hit the ground running and it eventually led him to his maiden Cup Series title. Whether that will happen for Gragson is doubtful, as Stewart-Haas Racing will probably go into a rebuilding phase. Still, it won’t be wrong for the fans to have high hopes for the promising youngster.

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