The Latest NASCAR Silly Season Signing Leaves One Major Question

What’s Happening?

Friday, Front Row Motorsports solidified another driver for the 2027 season by re-signing veteran Todd Gilliland to drive its No. 34.

Gilliland, as well as his teammate Zane Smith, is a graduate of the team’s highly successful NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program. While Gilliland has yet to find victory lane in the Cup Series, he has served as a solid, consistent option for the team.

Of course, there was never really any question as to whether Gilliland would return next season, after all, his ride was far from the silly season spotlight compared to another seat in the FRM stable.

What About the No. 4?

With Smith and Gilliland sorted out for 2027, the last piece of the puzzle is the No. 4 team, and unfortunately, that is a mystery that does not seem to have an answer just yet.

FRM launched this third team, their first since the 2015 season and first of the NASCAR Charter era, last season. While there were a few options to sort through that offseason, the team went with a driver in the Ford camp, Noah Gragson, one of the many free agents created by the closure of Stewart-Haas Racing.

For the most part, expanding to three cars has not been a smooth operation for FRM, and at the very bottom of the heap is the No. 4, which currently sits 31st in points, well behind his teammates.

Though the team has not acknowledged Gragson’s Silly Season hot seat status, the veteran driver has, mentioning during a recent appearance on The Dale Jr Download that “I’m trying to get a job next year.”

The rumor mill has frequently fluctuated for Gragson, with some theorizing he is in a good spot, and others looking at the free agent market and asking why FRM wouldn’t want to make a switch.

Who Else But Gragson?

Noah’s spot seems safe for now, but that has not slowed rumors.

One name that fans often point to is surprise free agent Josh Berry, who is out of his ride at the Wood Brothers for 2027. Berry, who has been a Ford driver since debuting in Cup in 2024, is a solid veteran option and could be a valuable asset in the long run.

Then there is the success of FRM’s Truck Series team, where second-generation racer Layne Riggs and long-time prospect Chandler Smith continue to pile on wins.

Riggs recently noted that a Cup Series ride for 2027 is definitely a possibility, while some fans point to Smith’s sponsors like QuickTie as a boost for his candidacy.

If the team went with either driver, and even though Smith has experience in the Cup Series car, a major deterrent could be the difficulty that many prospects, such as Ty Gibbs, Connor Zilisch, and even Zane Smith, have had adjusting to the NASCAR Next Gen car.

For now, FRM has yet to announce any plans to move on from Gragson, but it’s clear that if they do, they have plenty of options.

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