Ryan Preece’s Spotter Shifts His Allegiance as He Shakes Hand With Tony Stewart’s New Recruit

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cup Series driver lineup is finally complete. The outfit co-owned by Tony Stewart recently announced their final full-time driver for the 2024 season and it is none other than Noah Gragson. The 25-year-old will be driving the #10 car which used to be driven by veteran racer Aric Almirola. It was also revealed that the former Legacy Motor Club man will have Andy Houston as a spotter. Houston spotted for Ryan Preece last year.

Noah Gragson was not supposed to be in Tony Stewart’s team. During the 2023 Cup Series campaign, the 25-year-old’s antics on social media stirred up a controversy and he was suspended by NASCAR and let go by Legacy Motor Club. Now that he’s back, Gragson will be looking for redemption.

Veteran spotter has a long history with Stewart-Haas Racing

The news of Andy Houston leaving Ryan Preece for Noah Gragson was revealed by the spotter himself on social media. Since 2020, Houston has been employed by Stewart-Haas Racing, where he has spent the last four seasons spotting the #41 Ford Mustang driven by Cole Custer and Ryan Preece. Houston’s replacement for the #41 car is yet to be announced.

Before joining Tony Stewart’s outfit, the 53-year-old worked with Austin Dillon as he advanced through the Xfinity Series and into the Cup Series, during a lengthy tenure with Richard Childress Racing.

“Excited to announce that I will be moving to the #10 car next year at @StewartHaasRcng  to spot  for @NoahGragson!  We have already broke the ice at the #snowballderby where we were contenders the whole race! Ready to get to work!! 💪🏼” the 53-year-old tweeted, breaking the news.

For Noah Gragson, getting a Cup Series ride for 2024 must have been relieving. The 25-year-old driver expressed his gratitude to everyone associated with Tony Stewart’s team and spoke about the pressure of being a driver for SHR.

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The 2023 season may have ended abruptly for him but redemption will be the only thing on Gragson’s mind. The 25-year-old mentioned that he was ready to get started with the team and expressed how he wanted to repay the faith shown in him by Gene Haas and Tony Stewart.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity with Stewart-Haas Racing and while most people in the industry are happy that the offseason is here, I want to get started on 2024 and go racing as soon as I can,” Gragson said as per Frontstretch.

“Stewart-Haas is filled with racers and I saw that and felt it as soon as I walked onto the shop floor. There are high expectations here and a strong desire to compete and win races. I have high expectations for myself and I want to deliver for Tony and Gene [Haas, SHR co-owner] and everyone at Stewart-Haas.” he added.

The 25-year-old will have big shoes to fill as he will be replacing a seasoned veteran Aric Almirola in the #10 car. Will Gragson be able to live up to expectations or will this be a disaster for Tony Stewart? Let us know your thoughts.

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