Front Row Motorsports has been involved in plenty of NASCAR news this summer, signing drivers Todd Gilliland and Noah Gragson to contract extensions through the 2027 season. With the three-car Cup Series team for next year determined, general manager Jerry Freeze recently provided some perspective on what influenced some of the moves and how the organization is approaching its future.
On last week’s episode of The Gluckcast, Freeze told Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, Freeze shared that Gragson is the team’s best-performing driver when it comes to merchandise stales and support from sponsors. That helped influenced the decision to re-sign him and the team has been rewarded for it with his improved on-track performance as of late.
Related: What Noah Gragson’s New Contract Could Mean for Future of Front Row Motorsports
To Freeze’s point, Gragson has 151,000 followers on his Instagram account and 163,000 followers on X. Compare that to the likes of Chris Buescher (70,000 Instagram followers) and Christopher Bell (140,000 followers) and it offers a glimpse of Gragson’s popularity. The 28-year-old’s personality has also landed him on the podcast circuit, appearing as a guest on Door, Bumper, Clear and The Dale Jr. Download.
Gragson’s contract extension with FRM was annonced on Aug. 14 and he’s rewarded the organization for its vote of confidence in him ever since. He earned a 10th-place finish this past Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, his third consecutive top-20 finish and his second top-10 of the regular season.
The contract extensions for Gilliland and Gragson, paired with Zane Smith’s multiyear deal signed last summer, have clouded the future of Truck Series driver Layne Riggs. Widely viewed as one of the best NASCAR prospects right now, Riggs won the regular-season title in the Truck Series and earned more wins (six) than the entire field of full-time Craftsman Truck Series drivers combined.
Related: Insider Reveals When Layne Riggs Could Make Cup Series Debut
Unfortunately for the 24-year-old, that leaves no viable path to a full-time Cup ride in 2027. While there’s still technically an open seat with Richard Childress Racing for next season, that ride is expected to be Austin Hill‘s unless the recent holdup in contract talks opens the door for the team to bring in Josh Berry. So, with no other alternatives, Riggs will likely have to stay in the Truck Series for another year.
Freeze said that they’ve had discussions with Riggs about how he can eventually reach the Cup Series, but the plan for now is to have him drive the No. 34 truck again next season for Front Row Motorsports. Notably, the North Carolina native does have a very good chance to deliver a championship for the team just two years after he won the NASCAR Truck Series Rookie of the Year.
Previous reporting has indicated that neither Gilliland nor Gragson is guaranteed a Cup ride with FRM in 2028. If either of them underperforms, or Smith gets poached by another team, it stands to reason that Riggs will have a seat open for him at the Cup level two years from now.
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