Noah Gragson is returning to the Xfinity Series but he’s coming back with de facto family.
The 25-year-old, in his second season of NASCAR Cup Series competition, and first with Stewart-Haas Racing will compete in four Xfinity Series races with Rette Jones Racing in an alliance with SHR.
Mark Rette and Terry Jones fields entries in the ASA STARS National Tour and ARCA Racing Series will make its second-tier division debut on Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Gragson will also join the team for the races at Nashville Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway and Darlington Raceway.
Family is the operative word as Gragson has raced frequently with RJR over the past five years in both Late Models and in the NASCAR Canada Series.
“Having had strong runs in their Super Late Model at the grassroots level, I’m excited to partner with Rette Jones Racing as we take on the next challenge in the Xfinity Series,” said Gragson in a press release. “Terry, Lisa, Kasey, Mackie Jones, and Mark Rette have played an instrumental role in my racing career and have become like family.
“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to compete in the Xfinity Series again and hope to pick up where we left off.”
Gragson has also served as a mentor for ASA driver Kyle Steckly and Jones views him as a pillar in their expansion.
“This is an important step for the overall long-term plans for Rette Jones Racing,” Jones said. “Noah has been instrumental in helping our Late Model program excel, but his presence thrives outside of the cockpit as he is instrumental in the growth and development of the other young drivers who funnel through our other motorsports programs. He is the perfect driver to launch our Xfinity Series program and we expect him to deliver strong results right away.”
Rette, who won the 2009 ARCA championship as crew chief with driver Justin Lofton, wouldn’t want to start this endeavor with any other driver.
“Expanding Rette Jones Racing to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series is no small task, but we believe that with our technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing and the support of Ford and Ford Performance, we will execute our debut with flying colors and not only put a competitive product on the track for Noah but also contend for strong results in our upcoming races this summer.”
Gragson will also make two ARCA starts for the team at Sonoma and Watkins Glen.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.