Noah Gragson Looks To Rewrite His NASCAR Story At EchoPark Speedway

Forbes

5 days ago

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 21: Noah Gragson poses for a photo during NASCAR Production Days ... More at Charlotte Convention Center on January 21, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
If you tried to pitch Noah Gragson's last year as a TV script, even Hollywood would've told you to tone it down. A team collapses, sponsors scatter, the driver ends up sidelined—and somehow, twelve months later, he's back in the NASCAR Cup Series, with a new car, a new team, a new sponsor, and a shot at a million dollars.
Even Gragson didn't see it coming.
'No, I didn't know how it was all going to happen,' Gragson said this week ahead of the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway. 'I kept my confidence up that I'd have an opportunity. I just didn't know what it was going to look like.'
Turns out, it looks like this: Gragson behind the wheel of the No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Front Row Motorsports, with Zep—yes, that Zep, the cleaning products people that once sponsored Chase Briscoe at Stewart-Haas Racing—plastered across the hood. And if that wasn't enough of a plot twist, Saturday night also kicks off NASCAR's first-ever in-season tournament, complete with brackets, eliminations, and a $1 million prize.
It's part March Madness, part demolition derby. Which, frankly, suits Gragson just fine.
Downsized, Not Derailed
When Stewart-Haas Racing announced it was shutting down at the end of 2024, Gragson and his crew found themselves in NASCAR limbo—a place where drivers either reinvent themselves or disappear entirely.
AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 10: (L-R) Noah Gragson, driver of the #10 Nitro Circus Ford, ... More Stewart-Haas Racing owners, Gene Haas and Tony Stewart poses for photos on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 10, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by)
'There were so many different options and conversations being had, just trying to narrow down what we felt like was going to be the best opportunity,' Gragson explained. 'After speaking with Bob Jenkins and Jerry Freeze and everybody at Front Row Motorsports, it just seemed like the perfect fit.'
In racing terms, Front Row isn't exactly a superpower. But in Gragson's view, that's not a bad thing. Besides he's hedged his bets a little, bringing a bit of familiarity along with him.
'I have probably half of the team from SHR—my crew chief, some engineers, a few mechanics,' he said. 'It's been a pretty smooth transition. And honestly, maybe downsizing a little bit has been better. At Stewart-Haas, we might've had too many cooks in the kitchen. Now, everyone's locked in on their role. We all work together really well.'
Translation: fewer suits, fewer egos, more racing.
The Dark Horse with Cleaning Products
While Ford's new Mustang Dark Horse, introduced last season, has been hyped as the brand's next great racing weapon, Gragson's not the type to gush.
'No, not really,' he said when asked if the new car feels more aggressive or unpredictable than last year's version. Fair enough—sometimes a car is just a car.
The sponsor, however, has potential for far more fun.
HOMESTEAD, FL - OCTOBER 26: Chase Briscoe (#14 Stewart Haas Racing Zep Ford) during practice for the ... More NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 400 on October 26, 2024 on October 26, 2024, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Malcolm Hope/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
'They've been awesome to work with,' Gragson said of Zep. 'They brought a pallet over to the shop, had all the cleaning supplies—and the thing was raided within a couple of minutes. Everything was gone.'
Race car drivers, it turns out, are surprisingly enthusiastic about spotless garages.
'They got everything—carpet cleaner, wall cleaner, degreasers, wax, coatings—the whole deal,' Gragson said. 'And yellow's my favorite color. It's bright, you can see the car on the racetrack. The car turned out really sharp.'
It might be the first time in NASCAR history that 'cleaning products' and 'bold new livery' show up in the same sentence. But as Gragson knows better than most, strange combinations sometimes work.
Million-Dollar Mayhem
The in-season tournament? That's where things really get interesting.
NASCAR's new bracket challenge brings eliminations, one-on-one rivalries, and—most importantly—a $1 million payday for the driver who survives.
AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 24: Noah Gragson, driver of the #10 Rush Truck Centers Ford, walks onstage ... More during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on March 24, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by)
'We're paying attention to see who we're up against, but you can't really do a whole lot until the race starts,' Gragson said. 'Once we strap the helmets on, we keep tabs on them. But with the bracket format… it might be more wild than anything. One thing goes wrong, and anybody can win—or lose.'
For Gragson, that means opportunity—and a statement.
'A million bucks is awesome,' he said. 'But where we're at at Front Row Motorsports, we're growing as an organization. I think this is a steppingstone to say,' Hey, we're here to compete.''
EchoPark, Atlanta—Call It What You Want
The track itself—officially EchoPark Speedway, though half the sport still calls it Atlanta—is a mixed bag for Gragson.
In the Xfinity Series, he racked up three top-five finishes, five top-10s, and an average finish most drivers would trade for. But since the reconfiguration that turned the track into a superspeedway hybrid, things have gone… less smoothly.
'The old track, I was really, really good there,' Gragson admitted. 'Since they added the banking and made it more like a superspeedway, it's been tough to stay out of wrecks. Honestly, it's probably my worst statistical track since the reconfiguration.'
Still, he's not exactly the type to back down.
'We've got an opportunity this weekend to change that,' he said.
The Critics Can Wait
It wasn't long ago Gragson's future in NASCAR was the subject of online message boards, Twitter (sorry, X) threads, and plenty of barstool debates. He says none of it matters now.
'None of it at all,' he said. 'I just do me at the end of the day. They want to hop on the bus, they can. They want to hate, go for it.'
His attention, he insists, is elsewhere.
'If you don't have my number, you don't know me,' Gragson added. 'The people close to me know me, and they know the person I am.'
Home—or a Launchpad?
For now, Gragson's betting on Front Row Motorsports as more than just a rebound.
'I hope it's a long-term home,' he said. 'Bob Jenkins and Jerry Freeze are awesome people. It's a great organization to drive for. If you're not having fun where you're working, might as well not work there—and I really, really enjoy going into the shop every day.'
But this is NASCAR. Long-term homes have a way of turning into springboards. And with a million dollars on the line and a high-visibility new sponsor on the car, this weekend could be the beginning of something much bigger.
HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - MARCH 23: Noah Gragson, driver of the #4 Beef A Roo Ford, prepares for the ... More NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 23, 2025 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by)
Biggest pressure this weekend? Gragson joked, 'Probably moving on to the next round. But I'll definitely say 'Atlanta' instead of EchoPark on TV… that's a given.'
And if it all goes according to plan?
'I don't know what the headline's gonna be,' Gragson said. 'But it's gonna be pretty big. I know that.'
Noah Gragson's made a career out of turning unlikely chances into headlines. This weekend at EchoPark—or Atlanta, if you slip up—is just the latest opportunity to prove that in NASCAR, underdogs don't just survive. Sometimes, they clean house.