Noah Gragson Gets A Ticket To Drive Full Time For Petty GMS In Nascar’s Cup Series In 2023

Petty GMS Motorsports made it official Wednesday: Noah Gragson will move up to the NASCAR Cup series fulltime in 2023 driving the team’s No. 42 Chevrolet.

“To be able to finally announce my plans for next season and officially say I will be competing full time in the NASCAR Cup Series is a dream come true,” said Gragson. “This is what we all dream of when we start racing at a young age, to be able to compete at the top level with the best in the world. I’m excited to join Petty GMS and drive a car that has so much history in our sport, the No. 42.”

The 24-year-old Las Vegas native will replace driver Ty Gibbs at the end of this season. Gragson made his NASCAR debut in 2016 in the Truck series winning his first race at Martinsville Speedway with Kyle Busch Motorsports the following year. He ran the 2017-2018 seasons with winning again in 2018 and finishing second in the championship standings.

Gragson has competed in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series since 2018, moving to a fulltime role in 2019 with JR Motorsports. In 123 starts in that series he’s won 8 races including 3 each of the last two seasons.

Gragson is a colorful character both on and off the track. In 2018 he won the Snowball Derby late model race in Florida and was criticized by many when he attempted to kiss the trophy girl, Helena Ciappini, who tried to rebuff his advances. The following week Ciappini was Gragson’s date to NASCAR’s end of the season awards ceremony.

Dillon leaves Petty GMS after one season with the team. He has 23 starts this season in the No. 42 with his best finish of 11^th coming in the season opening Daytona 500.

Gragson has made 9 starts in the Cup series this season with Beard Motorsports and Kaulig Racing. His best finish was 18^th at Kansas Speedway this past May.

“We’re excited to have Noah join the Petty GMS family and climb in the No. 42 next season,” said Petty GMS Chairman Richard Petty. “Noah’s proven he can win in the Truck and Xfinity Series and compete for championships, and we know he will bring that same fire with him to Petty GMS next season.”

Gragson will make his debut with Petty GMS for the 2023 Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum next February.