NASCAR Fans Are Loving This New Rule For San Diego Weekend
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NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. thinks that Noah Gragson’s relationship with a current NASCAR sponsor could score him a new ride for 2027 should the Front Row Motorsports driver find himself on the free agent market this Silly Season.
As the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season finds itself at the start of the summer stretch, the 2027 Silly Season rumor mill is heating up.
One name often talked about in these Silly Season discussions is Front Row Motorsports’ second-year driver Noah Gragson.
Gragson made his debut with the team last season and has failed to match his 2024 stats at Stewart-Haas Racing, a performance that many felt earned him the ride.
While talks of Gragson leaving FRM at year’s end are just rumors as of right now, the 27-year-old would be the likely odd man out if the team opted to make a change at season’s end.
Still, if he were to be out of a ride, the question of where he could end up is also up in the air.
There are very few openings that would suit a driver in Gragson’s position.
However, one has stood out to fans in recent weeks, and Gragson’s former NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series team owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., thinks that a pre-existing relationship could score him the ride.
What’s Happening? As NASCAR prepares for its first street race in San Diego, the sanctioning body has thrown a surprise into…
The abrupt passing of NASCAR legend Kyle Busch has left Richard Childress Racing with a difficult decision for the 2027 season.
At Michigan International Speedway last weekend, Childress confirmed that Busch was set to return to the team for 2027, with Busch’s passing now leaving that seat open for the new year.
While Austin Hill will round out the season in the newly renumbered No. 33, the long-term future of the car is on the minds of fans.
One name thrown around for that ride is Noah Gragson, whose relationship with long-time RCR partner Bass Pro Shops could open the door for Gragson if he were to be on the free agent market.
While sponsorship can only go so far, Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared on the latest episode of his podcast, The Dale Jr Download, that the bond between Bass Pro and Gragson runs much deeper than most fans would think.
During his time at JR Motorsports from 2019 to 2022 and at Stewart-Haas Racing in 2024, Gragson carried sponsorship from Bass Pro Shops, and, as Earnhardt told listeners, that relationship was strong: “They love him, they always have.”
In fact, if Bass Pro were to lobby for Gragson to join RCR, it wouldn’t be the first time they did so, as Earnhardt alleged that the brand, which has sponsored Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 since 2019, wanted Gragson to take over for a retiring Martin Truex Jr. during the 2024-25 Silly Season cycle.
“Way back when the No. 19 was open, Bass Pro Shops was like, ‘Hey, what about Noah?’ And JGR was like, “No. . . we’re going to do [Chase] Briscoe.” And they [Bass Pro Shops] were like, ‘Oh, all right. I guess we’re doing Briscoe.'” — Dale Earnhardt Jr.
While Earnhardt admits that he’s not sure that “RCR wants this,” suggesting he does not have any inside knowledge, he does think that Gragson would be a great fit for the team.
Of course, he isn’t the first to bring up Gragson’s relationship with Bass Pro Shops when discussing potential drivers for RCR, with NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports doing so earlier this month.
Still, while it’s fun to look at the possibilities of what this Silly Season could bring for either party, the fact remains that, as of right now, Gragson is still a Ford driver, though, as any long-time NASCAR fan knows, that could always change.
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