Noah Gragson Bringing New Energy to Stewart-Haas Racing; Motivated to Perform in 2024

After a difficult rookie campaign with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, and the mid-season suspension that brought it all to a screeching halt, Noah Gragson has had to look within himself and face a harsh reality over the last twelve months.

Behind the scenes, he's been able to make strides in doing exactly that. So now, the 25-year-old driver is prepared to take the lessons learned along the way and clear the slate, moving on to his new gig at Stewart-Haas Racing, as driver of the No. 10 Ford Mustang.

Gragson, a 13-time NASCAR Xfinity Series winner, is an important piece of the new-look Stewart-Haas Racing, featuring Josh Berry, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Preece in addition to the Las Vegas-native. The team's refreshed look comes on the heels of its first-ever winless season at NASCAR's top level.

"It's challenging, but I think we use it as motivation," Gragson said when asked about Stewart-Haas Racing's performance in 2023. "We all want to be leaders. We all want to be the best teammates possible, and we all want to work together to be a part of this deal. It takes everyone's effort and if we can be better than we were yesterday, that's how we're gonna be successful in the long run, is if we can constantly keep improving and working together."

As drivers arrived in Daytona Beach, Florida for Daytona Speedweeks, the four Stewart-Haas Racing drivers each seemed to carry a newfound aura of optimism and excitement surrounding the new season, none more than Gragson -- who is treating this opportunity as a reboot, of sorts.

"It's incredible to get an opportunity like this," Gragson explained. "At the same time, there's going to be challenges along the way, There's going to be adversity. There's going to be good runs and bad runs, but it's how you react to it and how you keep on moving forward each and every race."

That fluctuation of speed from week to week is something that Gragson hadn't experienced much of before moving into the NASCAR Cup Series, having run his campaigns in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in top-shelf equipment, driving for JR Motorsports and Kyle Busch Motorsports, respectively.

"When we were in the Xfinity Series and literally could do no wrong -- it might have been the best thing for me, but the worst thing of winning all those races because I kind of lost my grounding in a sense of ‘hey, I’ve got to keep on working at this.’ It’s not always gonna come as easy as it did in my final year in Xfinity."

"It was somewhat of a rude awakening in 2023," Gragson added. "Obviously, we didn't unload with race-winning speed, ever, so that was a big challenge. We've done a lot of self-reflecting and soul-searching over the past handful of months trying to become the best leader possible. I think that's what in 20 years when I look back I feel like, man, if I was the best leader for my team and the best piece of the puzzle for the team and did the best job, I'll be satisfied with myself."

Similar to his NASCAR Xfinity Series tenure with JR Motorsports, Stewart-Haas Racing has provided Gragson with the absolute freedom required to be his authentic self, something that team co-owner Tony Stewart has said brings an entirely new energy to the shop.

"They've just allowed me to be myself," Gragson said. "It's a good group of people. It's great to be wanted and appreciated and the atmosphere over there, there's just a lot of good people who enjoy coming to work every day. It’s a great work environment. I know when I wake up in the morning I’m like, ‘Man, I can’t wait to go see everybody at the shop today and go work alongside them’ and continue to develop these relationships. It’s just a place that suits me."

It's the start of a brand-new chapter for Stewart-Haas Racing in which the championship-winning organization is developing a new culture around the positivity, determination, perseverance, and optimism of its young and hungry four-driver lineup.

...and the expectation remains that with time, that newfound culture will bring Stewart-Haas Racing back to the top of the scoring pylon.

-- Image Credit: Craig White, Racing America