“We feel that this is a great opportunity and the perfect time to bring Noah to our organization. He has just the right amount of experience in the NASCAR Cup Series to break out and become a winner for years to come,” Bob Jenkins, owner of Front Row Motorsports, said while announcing Gragson’s move to FRM. At the time, it sounded like a fairytale beginning. The kind of second chance drivers dream about.

New team, new energy, and a car with more potential than people were giving it credit for. Gragson had that underdog swagger, and FRM? They had momentum. But NASCAR seasons don’t run on hope. They run on results. And lately, the results haven’t just been disappointing. But, they’ve been downright baffling. Something’s off. And while no one’s ringing alarm bells just yet, you can hear the whispers starting to creep in.

A strong start, then the slide for Noah Gragson

Noah Gragson’s 2025 NASCAR Cup Series campaign with Front Row Motorsports began with unexpected promise. Until May, he racked up solid finishes. These included an eighth-place finish at COTA and fourth at Talladega. The others, while not as impressive, were decent, to say the least. 16th at Homestead, 19th at Darlington, and 14th at Kansas, to name a few. His runs weren’t front-page material, but they were consistent enough to keep him hovering near the playoff cutline and well ahead of internal expectations.

But then, came the infamous summer slump. Since June, Noah Gragson has been on a downward trajectory of sorts. He hasn’t managed to crack even the top 20 ever since. Wrecks, mechanical issues, penalties, and an overall lack of pace have plagued the No. 4 team. The slide began at Nashville, where he finished 38th, thanks to a wreck caused by Alex Bowman. The other races produced similar results, due to one reason or the other. Michigan (27th), Mexico (30th), Sonoma (37th), and Indianapolis (33rd), to name some.

This weekend, the bad luck continued at Iowa, too. First, he got penalized just before the race for unapproved brake rotor adjustments and had to start in the 31st position. The race was forgettable as Noah Gragson managed to finish only 29th, adding to his string of bad outcomes. As a result, Gragson currently sits in 34th position. Plus, he is nowhere close to playoff contention. While a miracle win could technically sneak him into the playoffs, the odds are long. Especially with momentum working against him.

Some still believe Gragson can bounce back. And they point to Denny Hamlin’s season as proof. Hamlin struggled through the early season, with a win out of his reach, no matter how hard he tried. But, he has since rebounded with multiple wins (4). It’s a reminder that momentum can shift quickly in NASCAR with the right adjustments and a little luck.

But optimism has its limits. Only three races remain before the playoffs, and Gragson sits well outside the cut line with no clear path to claw his way back. Even if he finds speed now, a win is his only shot, and he hasn’t come close lately. For some, this stretch feels less like a slump and more like a signal of deeper performance issues.

What do you think? Is this just a cold streak Gragson can power through, or has the momentum truly slipped away for good? Can Front Row Motorsports rally around him in time, or is 2025 already a lost cause?

FRM’s struggles run deeper

Front Row Motorsports isn’t just watching Noah Gragson struggle; his teammates are facing similar issues. Todd Gilliland, for instance, started the year on a decent note. He finished 15th at Atlanta, 10th at both COTA and Martinsville, and 12th at Kansas. Then, like Noah Gragson, the summer slump hit him. Since June, Gilliland has been on a downward spiral, too. Just take a look at his results since.

33rd at Michigan, 28th at Pocono, 25th at Dover, and, now, 34th at Iowa. These clearly reflect a consistent decline in performance. The only silver lining during this period? The 6th-place finish at Indianapolis. However, the lone result isn’t enough to do any good, as Gilliland currently sits in the 30th position in the driver’s standings with no playoff points to his name.

The story isn’t much different for Front Row Motorsports’ third driver, Zane Smith, too. Like Noah Gragson and Todd Gilliland, Smith, too, had a decent first half and has seen a downgrade in performance since then. His last five results, Chicago (14th), Sonoma (27th), Dover (22nd), Indianapolis (31st), and Iowa (36th), are a testament to how consistency has started to vanish from his runs.

Currently ranked 27th in the standings, Smith, like his teammates, appears stuck in a rut with no clear way out. So the question remains. Are these individual slumps, or is something fundamentally flawed within the FRM camp this season? With just three races left before the playoffs, time is running out for answers.