Noah Gragson vs. Cole Custer, Stewart-Haas Racing's best bet for the 2024 NASCAR season

One of the final NASCAR Cup Series seats to be confirmed for the 2024 season remains that of the #10 Ford Mustang at Stewart-Haas Racing and Noah Gragson is in talks for his return to the sport with that seat. After Aric Almirola's departure from the team owned by Tony Stewart, the #10 car is yet to find a driver for next season, with no official announcement from the team yet.

Along with Gragson, Xfinity Series driver for SHR and Cup Series prior Cole Custer is also seemingly in the running for the seat, especially after his 2023 Xfinity Series championship victory. However, as Custer demonstrated earlier, the Xfinity Series regular seemed to drown at the competition level of the Cup Series.

On the other hand, Noah Gragson comes with his own set of catches as the young driver remains suspended from NASCAR after he was found liking a racially insensitive post on social media. Often regarded as a fiery, brash personality off the track, Gragson backs his charisma up with undoubted skill behind the wheel.

With the silly season almost coming to an end, Gragson also has the added edge of Cup Series experience in the form of a drive with Jimmie Johnson's team Legacy MC until August this year. With Tony Stewart also backing Cole Custer in his future endeavors in the highest echelon of stock car racing, it remains to be seen who will partner Josh Berry in the team next year.

Reports tip the scales in favor of Noah Gragson's return to the NASCAR Cup Series

Several reports and rumors flying around the fraternity suggest Noah Gragson will be the one to make his comeback in the sport next season and edge Cole Custer for a seat at SHR.

Reporter at The Athletic, Jordan Bianchi, wrote about the same development on his official X (formerly Twitter) account in a post that read:

"Aric Almirola makes it official that he won’t return to Stewart-Haas Racing next year. SHR has not announced who will drive its No. 10 Cup car next year, but Noah Gragson is considered the favorite to land that ride, according to sources."

It remains to be seen what comes of Stewart-Haas Racing's four-car entry into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, and what the ultimate driver lineup of the team looks like next year. Whether Noah Gragson finds himself in that seat, or team owners sway towards a more cautious approach that could be Cole Custer, will be revealed soon by the team.