Report: Noah Gragson expected to fill Petty GMS Motorsports No. 42 ride

AP Photo/John Raoux

     According to sources, rumors and rumblings in the motorsports world, 24 year old driver, Noah Gragson is the leading candidate to fill the Petty GMS Motorsports No. 42 seat for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.

An opening for the Petty GMS No. 42 seat arose when the current driver of the No. 42, Ty Dillon mutually agreed to part ways with the team come the 2023 season. This driver opening left many fans and industry members alike wondering who would fill the seat.

At that time, Petty GMS Motorsports stated that Noah Gragson was one of the leading candidates to take over for Ty Dillon. Although Gragson explained he would like to continue to driver for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, rumors, rumblings and reports from reputable sources in the NASCAR racing world have implied that a deal is close to done for Noah Gragson and Petty GMS.

Noah Gragson who has competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for four, full time seasons has earned himself and his No. 9 JR Motorsports team eight victories, 52 top-five finishes, and a whopping 85 top-10 finishes. In 2021 Gragson made his NASCAR Cup Series debut during speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway, but intimately failed to qualify his Beard Motorsports machine in the “Daytona” 500. In 2022 he has raced in the Cup Series nine times, twice for Beard Motorsports and on seven occasions for Kaulig Racing (where he will continue to race throughout this season).

Albeit not the most competitive landing spot for Noah Gragson in the sport, Petty GMS Motorsports can provide a modest ride for the young racing talent. Richard Petty Motorsports and GMS Racing who merged during the off-season have heavily improved their competitive edge this season with the onset of the NASCAR NextGen (Generation 7) race car. The iconic No. 43 team which was a back marker team only one year ago, is today competing for wins with the powerhouse teams like Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Team Penske and others.

 With glimpses of speed this season from Ty Dillon’s No. 42, Noah Gragson could be in for a fairly competitive Cup Series ride, and may even have a chance to compete for wins somewhere down the line.

Although this report has explored this very likely possibilities of Noah Gragson joining Petty GMS Motorsports for the 2023 season, the NASCAR work awaits the official announcement coming Wednesday, (8/10/2022) at 2:30 PM ET. The press conference will take place at the team’s shop with racing legend/team owner, Richard Petty in attendance, as well as Team President Mike Beam and the unspecified driver in attendance.