Noah Gragson will return to NASCAR Cup Series competition driving the No. 10 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing beginning in 2024, where he will replace Aric Almirola (pictured above), who has moved to a part-time NASCAR schedule with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series.
It is a multi-year agreement. No sponsors were announced for the program.
“Noah deserves to be in the NASCAR Cup Series and we’re very happy to have him as the driver of our No. 10 Ford Mustang,” Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart said. “Noah has performed at every level where he’s competed and has regularly been in championship contention. That’s the kind of driver we need at Stewart-Haas and that’s why Noah is a part of our team.”
Gragson ran 21 races last season with Legacy Motor Club before the two parted ways in the summer. Legacy Motor Club initially suspended Gragson August 5, the weekend the series visited Michigan International Speedway, for liking an insensitive meme on Instagram that mocked the 2020 death of George Floyd. NASCAR indefinitely suspended Gragson and required him to go through sensitivity training. Gragson was reinstated in September.
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Drew Blickensderfer will continue to oversee the No. 10 team and Gragson. Blickensderfer is a veteran of the series and has four career wins.
“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. “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] and everyone at Stewart-Haas.”
Gragson has 39 career starts with one top-10 finish.
“I race to win and winning at the Cup Series level is what I’ve been working toward since I started racing Bandoleros as a 13-year-old at the Bullring in Las Vegas,” Gragson said. “To be with an established team with a history of winning is what every driver wants. I’ve got exactly that here at Stewart-Haas and I aim to make the most of it.”
Stewart-Haas Racing has two Cup Series championships (Stewart in 2011 and Kevin Harvick in 2014) and 69 race victories. The organization went winless in 2023.
Gragson fills out the Stewart-Haas Racing lineup alongside the returning Chase Briscoe and Ryan Preece and rookie Josh Berry.