3 Xfinity drivers poised to breakout in 2023 NASCAR Cup Series

Noah Gragson

Like Allmendinger, Gragson also saw a decent amount of Cup Series experience in 2022 as he raced for Beard Motorsports, Kaulig Racing – in the No. 16 Allmendinger will be in full time this year – and Hendrick Motorsports, filling in for Alex Bowman after he suffered a concussion. Gragson posted just one top-five finish at Daytona in August, but what he has accomplished at the other levels of NASCAR already in his young career is nothing short of impressive. The 24-year-old raced for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series in 2017 and 2018, earning victories at Martinsville and Kansas.

After debuting in the Xfinity Series in 2018, Gragson became a full-time driver in 2019 in the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. While he didn’t win a race in his first full-time season, he achieved 20 top-10 finishes. It didn’t take long for Gragson to enter the winner’s circle in 2020, however, doing so in the season’s first race at Daytona and again at Bristol in June. After three more victories in 2021, Gragson dominated the series in 2022 with eight victories – including four in a row in September – while finishing second in the championship chase to Ty Gibbs. In August, Petty GMS Motorsports announced they would bring Gragson on board as a full-time Cup Series driver in 2023 to replace Ty Dillon. If last season is any indication, expect to see the No. 42 Chevrolet in contention in plenty of races this year. Racing in the Cup Series is obviously a different animal, but with experience at that level already under his belt, Gragson could very well sneak up to the top of the leaderboard a time or two this season.