Front Row Motorsports put the finishing touches on its 2027 NASCAR Cup Series team on Friday, announcing a contract extension for Noah Gragson. It could have ramifications for Gragson and FRM beyond next year.
FRM officially announced its one-year extension with Gragson ahead of this weekend’s race at Richmond Raceway. It comes after an initial period of uncertainty this summer regarding Gragson’s immediate future in the Cup Series.
As of mid-July, it wasn’t a certainty that the young driver would stay with the No. 4 team in 2027. Gragson stated publicly that he was still trying to earn a Cup ride for next year and there were rumors about the likelihood of a deal with FRM coming to fruition.
That changed later in July, when FRM’s general manager said the team was working on a new contract with Gragson. A few weeks later, the deal is done with the announcement coming just days after a promising showing at Iowa Speedway.
- Noah Gragson stats (2026): 288 points (31st), 1 top 10, 4 NFs, 2 laps led, 28.522 average starting position, 24.652 average finishing position
Gragson, age 28, is one of the more marketable drivers in NASCAR despite his lack of on-the-track struggles with FRM in the Cup Series. Through 23 races this season, per DriverAverages.com, Gragson has the fifth-worst average finishing position among full-time Cup drivers.
The one-year extension comes just a few weeks after Front Row Motorsports signed Todd Gilliland to a contract extension. A year earlier, the team signed young driver Zane Smith to a multiyear deal that will keep him with FRM through 2027.
Examining Layne Riggs’ Future with Front Row Motorsports
Friday’s NASCAR news marks another setback in Layne Riggs‘ path to the Cup Series. Entering Friday’s race at Richmond, he sat atop the Truck Series points leaders (716) by 100 points, with more wins (five) than the entire field of full-time Truck Series drivers combined.
Related: Latest Intel On When Layne Riggs May Reach Cup Series
Unfortunately for Riggs, there’s no path to a full-time Cup ride in 2027. Richard Childress Racing still hasn’t announced who will drive the No. 33 car next year, but that’s widely expected to be Austin Hill.
So, one of the top prospects in NASCAR will seemingly have to spend another year racing full-time in the Truck Series. It delays his path to Cup by another full year, but there should be a road to him reaching it in 2028.
That’s largely because Smith and Gragson’s contracts will have expired and there’s a strong likelihood that FRM will be ready at that point to give Riggs a full-time Cup ride. It also means that Gragson will be on the hot seat next year, with his future in Cup again in doubt.
As for Smith, given his on-track improvements this year, there’s a chance that he is pursue by a better team in NASCAR silly season next year.
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