Noah Gragson was officially reinstated by NASCAR on Tuesday evening, and that means he can truly turn his focus toward getting back behind the wheel in 2024. Gragson was already rumored to be out at Legacy Motor Club even before he was suspended, so it is entirely possible he already had something in the works. With that in mind, where can Gragson go in 2024?
The timing of Gragson’s reinstatement is definitely interesting with Kaulig Racing teasing a “surprise” driver to be announced at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. It’s interesting to note that Chris Rice told Frontstretch following Kansas that he was “hoping” to announce at Bristol, not a guaranteed announcement at Bristol. Is it possible he was privy to where Gragson was in the reinstatement process and planned on announcing as soon as Gragson was reinstated?
Now, this could all just be a major coincidence because Gragson being signed to Kaulig has a few potential drawbacks to it. First off, what type of sponsorship can Gragson bring in given his recent suspension? Secondly, given his performance so far this season, is Gragson going to perform well enough in a new Cup Series ride?
Now, this is on the longshot end of the spectrum, but it is not impossible. Gragson won 13 races in four seasons with JR Motorsports between 2019 and 2022. We know he can compete and win races with good equipment in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The issue, once again, boils down to sponsorship. Can Gragson bring in the funds necessary to get a high-profile ride like this, and the other major issue is timing. Gragson was likely not looking too hard at Xfinity until he got suspended, and JR Motorsports may very well have had their candidates nailed down by that point.
Rick Ware Racing has yet to announce their plans for a second car in 2024, and they have yet to even announce Justin Haley’s car number for 2024. Could Noah Gragson be a driver to fill in that second seat in 2024? RWR is a race team looking to become an up-and-comer, and signing a youngster like Gragson could be a good idea.
The issue is charters. The number 51 charter could potentially be in danger of being revoked by NASCAR if it finished in the bottom three in the owner’s points. Now, it is not a guarantee, but it would explain why Haley’s 2024 car number has yet to be announced. With no second charter, it is hard to justify a second car.
Live Fast has not had a great year this year, but, what if they were to sign a big name like Noah Gragson? It could be big for that race team, and if Gragson really wants to stay in the Cup Series, this is absolutely an option for him. However, the performance of Live Fast could be the major issue.
If Gragson were given the choice between an underdog Cup Series team and a race-winning Xfinity Series team, it is easy to see why he may choose the Xfinity team. However, if he really wants to stay in Cup, his way back up the ladder may start at a place like Live Fast. Who knows where he could take them?
Gragson does have a Toyota connection as he ran Toyotas for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Xfinity Series between 2016 and 2018. He won two races over those seasons and finished second in the standings in 2018. If he kept that bridge open, then why not go to a winning Xfinity team?
The optics of this would look odd as Gragson would go to the ride that his replacement vacated, but the biggest issue is competition. Toyota has plenty of drivers to choose from for that ride, and are they willing to bring in someone with the baggage of Gragson? It would be interesting to see if Gragson did race here, but it may not be realistic.
Noah Gragson’s focus is now fully turned towards 2024, and these are just a few teams he could drive for. What other options does Gragson have?
Three races, three wins, and three straight celebrations with Michael Jordan. History was made at Circuit of the Americas as Tyler Reddick opened the season with an unprecedented three straight victories, holding off Shane van Gisbergen in the Texas heat while chaos and strategy shuffled the field behind them. Here’s how it scored on the Groovy Gauge, powered by Lectric eBikes.
After two wildcards to kick off the 2026 season, NASCAR headed to Circuit of the Americas (COTA) for round 3 on the year. The big headline heading into this weekend was whether or not Tyler Reddick could become the first driver in NASCAR history to win three straight races to start a campaign. Three times before, drivers have won the first two races of the year. Now Reddick, fresh off the heels of a Daytona 500 win and a win at Atlanta makes history as the only driver to go three for three.
The No. 45 23XI team is certainly on a roll with a 70-point points lead. However, not everyone had a weekend to remember. Here are the biggest losers of the 2026 NASCAR race weekend at COTA.
Another race weekend, another controversial race for Hendrick Motorsports’ Corey Day. And it is, yet again, a tangle with a JR Motorsports car that lands him on this list. Late into Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at COTA, Corey Day got into his Hendrick teammate, Connor Zilisch, who was driving the No. 1 car for the team, causing Zilisch to spin out. Up to that point, Zilisch had already overcome a lot of adversity. Heading into one of the tight corners of COTA, Day clipped Zilisch, sending him around and effectively ending his contention for the race win.
After the incident, Connor Zilisch came over the radio and called Day a “total hack” and then, after the race, told reporters that he expects and deserves an apology. Day was a good sport about it all, owning up to his mistakes. But it’s just another week of Day barreling through his competitors that makes this a weekend he’d likely rather forget. To his credit, though, despite the issues, he still managed a top 5 finish. So, at least there’s that.
Unfortunately, Connor Zilisch makes the list. There was a lot of buzz around Connor Zilisch heading into the weekend, considering his dominance on road courses last year in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. I think that many fans viewed Saturday’s race as a cakewalk for the young phenom, while others thought that the odds were in his favor to capture his first win on Sunday. Unfortunately for him, none of that came to fruition. While Saturday’s race looked like another SVG/Connor Zilisch thriller in the making, mechanical issues put the driver of the No. 1 car behind the 8-ball. Not to mention a late race incident with Corey Day and Saturday could be considered the win that could have been for Zilisch.
Sunday wasn’t much better. He did manage to keep his nose clean, so there was that. But he was more or less a non-factor most of the race. He started in the back and was able to work his way up and contend for a top 10 finish in the closing laps. Unfortunately, all he could manage was a 14th-place finish.
Undeniably, the odds-on favorite going into today’s race had to be the one, the only, the NASCAR King of the Road himself, Shane van Gisbergen. Despite win-and-you’re-in being a thing of the past, many fan still expect SVG to make the 16-driver Chase for the Cup later this year based on sheer wins at road course races alone. His first opportunity came early with COTA being the third race of the season. Unfortunately, despite winning handily in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Saturday, he wasn’t able to get the job done on Sunday. He was in prime position to win his seventh career cup win but, unfortunately, the stars didn’t align. He was forced to settle for a runner-up finish.
The story going into this weekend’s race at COTA was will Tyler Reddick be able to do the impossible and become the first driver in history to win the first three races of the season. It was a tall order, for sure, but the fact that he scored the pole on Saturday must have put a pep in his step. Early on, he was far from the fastest. As the race wore on, though, he got better and better, ultimately able to outduel the King of the Road, SVG on his own turf.
Because of Reddick’s dominant performance, the last loser on our list this week is the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series field. They just did not rise to the occasion, and Tyler Reddick managed to capitalize to make history. Now, they just need to go to Phoenix next week and prevent him from going four in a row. At this rate, though, Reddick might actually embarrass the field once again.
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In this post, we’re breaking down the top 10 all-time lap leaders at Circuit of the Americas, along with key stats, besides reviewing the top 15 active drivers with the most laps led at the track. And that’s not all; we’re also examining some of COTA’s historic track records and the names still holding them, so stick around until the end to check them out
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 456 | 2 | 3 | 4.0 | 2.0 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 456 | 1 | 2 | 7.3 | 9.3 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 456 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 13.7 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 454 | 1 | 0 | 10.5 | 10.8 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 258 | 0 | 0 | 9.3 | 10.3 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 418 | 1 | 0 | 13.0 | 10.3 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 456 | 0 | 0 | 18.7 | 17.5 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 456 | 0 | 0 | 19.0 | 15.2 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 403 | 0 | 0 | 29.3 | 11.5 |
| Races | Laps Run | Wins | Poles | Avg. Finish | Avg. Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 456 | 0 | 0 | 13.8 | 17.5 |
Let us know your thoughts on this list. Are there any drivers that surprise you? What track record do you think will never be broken? Join the discussion on Discord or X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more updates.
