Editor’s Note: Today’s Front Row Motorsports preview continues NASCAR.com’s countdown of team previews for the 2025 Cup Series season.
FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS
Manufacturer: Ford
Engine: Roush Yates Engines
Driver-crew chief pairing: Noah Gragson-Drew Blickensderfer (No. 4); Todd Gilliland-Chris Lawson (No. 34); Zane Smith-Ryan Bergenty (No. 38)
Team outlook: FRM took a huge step forward with its speed, almost routinely putting its cars either on pole or on the front row, literally, at superspeedways. Todd Gilliland and Michael McDowell both led more laps than ever in a career season. However, there is still more to be discovered regarding the team’s long-run pace, as both drivers ended 2024 with an average finish south of 20th.
As for its driver lineup, Front Row now looks to Gilliland to be its team leader this season and build off a promising 2024 season with McDowell departing for Spire Motorsports. The team also expanded to three charters, bringing in Noah Gragson and welcoming back Zane Smith, who made his name in FRM’s Truck program.
NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 4 FORD
Experience: Two full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series
2024 stats: 24th in final Cup Series standings; 0 wins, 1 top five, 7 top 10s
2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 150-1
Outlook: Gragson transitions from the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing as another young driver for the team build around going forward. Gragson saw a noticeable uptick in performance in his second full-time season, most notably the seven top-10 finishes he had over the regular season. The best thing for the Las Vegas native is finding a home where he can grow, Front Row will mark his third team in as many years, he is under a multi-year contract, though, so time will tell if there’s more untapped potential in him to develop into a solid driver at the Cup level.
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TODD GILLILAND, NO. 34 FORD
Experience: Three full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series
2024 stats: 22nd in final Cup Series standings; 0 wins, 0 top fives, 4 top 10s
2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 250-1
Outlook: Gilliland, 24, takes over the No. 34 Ford in place of McDowell, who brought weekly consistency to help build up FRM’s Cup program. On paper, his 4 top 10s match his 2023 campaign. However, his 130 laps led, 24 lead-lap finishes and leap from 28th to 22nd in driver standings over a year all set new career benchmarks and are key indicators that FRM is slowly building consistency. Gilliland also had a nine-race stretch from Kansas to Chicago of top-20 finishes, another good indicator that he’s turning a corner in the positive direction. This season should see another jump from Gilliland with more resources and attention being poured into his development.
MORE: Front Row extends Gilliland
ZANE SMITH, NO. 38 FORD
Experience: One full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series
2024 stats: 30th in final Cup Series standings; 0 wins, 2 top fives, 4 top 10s
2025 championship odds (DraftKings): 170-1
Outlook: It is a bit of a homecoming for Smith, who returns to FRM after his rookie campaign at Spire Motorsports as a Trackhouse Racing driver. The pedigree is there, as a six-time race winner and Truck Series Champion with the organization he can be competitive in Front Row’s equipment. The question is: Can he be competitive with Front Row at the Cup level? For starters, it should benefit him that he has great familiarity with the team. Secondly, during the later half of Smith’s rookie year, he started to truly catch on. From his runner-up finish at Nashville to the end of the year at Phoenix, he only recorded three finishes of 25th or worse, compared to the seven he had in the first 18 races. The move back to a growing organization could be exactly what Smith needs to continue his ascent as a professional.
BOLD PREDICTION: Both teams were right outside of finishing in the top 20 in last year’s final standings. In 2025, Front Row will cleanly have two top 20 teams, with a third just peeking out. There’s a lot to work with for this newly expanded organization, which has young talents and speed. With two superspeedway races to open the season, there may be a chance to see early investment returns.