CONCORD, N.C. — After competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series since 2015, Rette Jones Racing decided to take the next step.
On Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, RJR made its Xfinity Series debut with Cup Series regular Noah Gragson behind the wheel.
It isn’t a foreign pairing. Gragson and RJR have worked together previously in the super late model ranks, including a Snowball Derby bid last year.
That experience together paid off. Gragson wheeled the No. 30 Ford Mustang to a 10th-place finish, fending off Kyle Weatherman and Taylor Gray after a heated battle over the final six circuits.
“It was an up-and-down day, but for our first one as a team, I’m happy with it,” Gragson said after the race. “There are gonna be some kinks that we need to overcome, but I’m just super grateful for the Jones family and everybody from Rette Jones Racing. It’s been a lot of fun.
“It’s a fun racetrack. I wish we had a little more, but for the first one I’ll take a top 10.”
A 13-time winner in the Xfinity Series, Gragson made his first start since November 2022 — when he finished runner-up to Ty Gibbs in the championship race. But with a different team and manufacturer, there were obvious unknowns. RJR formed a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing, Gragson’s Cup organization.
And early on, they showed speed.
Starting 18th, Gragson got up to 14th at the end of Stage One and broke into the top 10 at the conclusion of Stage Two. After a series of cautions opened the final stage, a long green flag run took the race inside 35 to go.
Inside that time frame, everyone had to make a pit stop. Gragson came for service with 51 laps to go, which would have been his final pit stop had the race stayed green.
But with 30 to go, Ryan Ellis crashed, setting up a difficult decision for crew chiefs. All lead lap cars besides Gragson pitted, which gave him the lead for the lap-175 restart.
Rolling from the inside, Gragson spun his tires — and got a friendly nudge from behind from former JR Motorsports teammate Sam Mayer. The Las Vegas native plummeted through the field, but got gifted with a caution after just two laps as Justin Allgaier wrecked toward the front. That allowed Gragson to pit for fresh tires.
In a final 12-lap dash to the checkered flag, Gragson got back as high as eighth — but fell back and had to stave off Weatherman and Gray to retain a top 10.
“From where we unloaded yesterday in practice to qualifying everyone kept after it and we kept on digging,” Gragson said. “I was in the front. I was in the back all day. I just really appreciate everyone’s effort.”
Gragson and RJR have three more races planned: Nashville (Tenn.) Speedway, Michigan International Speedway and Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.