David Gilliland Racing (DGR) and CROSLEY Sports Group announced Las Vegas, Nev. native, Noah Gragson will drive the No. 54 Switch Toyota in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (K&N East) as well as Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Series for select races in 2018.
Early October 2017, Gragson completed a feat most super late model drivers dream of, winning the famed Winchester 400 and then followed that up late October by winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. Gragson will drive towards his next win as the first driver out of the DGR-CROSLEY stable to compete in the 2018 ARCA Series at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
Gragson has two top-five and three top-10 finishes in his eight ARCA starts. Hoping to best his finishing position from 2017, Gragson will be behind the wheel of the No. 54 as he makes his second ever Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway start in the ARCA Series on Saturday, February 10th.
“I’m really looking forward to racing for DGR-Crosley in a few races this season,” said Gragson. “Racing at Daytona in the ARCA race will give me valuable experience and more confidence going into the Daytona truck series race. I don’t have a ton of experience when it comes to drafting. So, this opportunity will be extremely beneficial. I’m also excited to work hand in hand with David Gilliland, who is one of the best drivers when it comes to superspeedway races.”
The 19-year-old will start his second full season with Kyle Busch Motorsports driving the No. 18 Toyota Tundra in the NCWTS. With one win, four top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in his first NCWTS season, Gragson hopes to continue to gain experience for those truck races. That is just what he will do as he takes over the No. 54 Toyota for two K&N East races in the 2018 season.
“Racing is my top priority and being able to race as much as I can will only make me a better driver,” said Gragson. “The more seat time I get, the more confident I can become. Our goal this year is to win races and compete for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship. However, I think adding these four races to my current schedule will only help achieve that goal.”
The 2015 K&N Series West Rookie of the Year collected six wins, 19 top five and 32 top-10 finishes in his past 42 starts in the K&N Series’ combined. He will make his first start in the No. 54 Switch Toyota in the K&N East race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in April.
“We can’t wait to have Noah jump in our car at Daytona,” David Gilliland, team owner at DGR said. “He is full of energy and willing to drive the wheels off of anything. We look forward to having him in our DGR-CROSLEY Toyotas a few times this year.”
The NASCAR Next product has driven the wheels off most everything he’s jumped into as he started racing at the age of 13 in the Bandoleros at the Las Vegas (Nev.) Bullring. Upon finding success there, he moved into the Legends division winning the Lion Road Course Championship and began racing in the Super Late Model division. At 16 years old, Gragson moved into the K&N Pro Series West where he found victory lane at Tucson (Ariz.) Speedway in just his third start and finished second in the K&N Pro Series West championship battle.
More announcements to come from DGR-CROSLEY on the exact races and crew chiefs.
For more on DGR-CROSLEY, and/or to inquire about driver development opportunities under the DGR-CROSLEY banner, contact Jason Hedlesky.
DGR-Crosley PR
