Noah Gragson and the No. 4 Rural King Ford Team
Bristol Motor Speedway Competition Notes
Food City 500
Date: Sunday, April 13, 2025
Event: Race 10 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Bristol Motor Speedway (0.533-mile)
#of Laps: 500
Time/TV/Radio: 3:00 PM ET on FS1/PRN/SiriusXM channel 90
Noah Gragson Notes
Rural King, America’s Farm and Home Store, joins Noah Gragson and Front Row Motorsports for multiple races in a new partnership for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. Their first primary race kicks off this weekend in Bristol with additional races on April 27 at Talladega Superspeedway and May 18 for the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. This marks the Mattoon, Illinois-based retailer’s first-ever foray into NASCAR team sponsorship, bringing its well-known commitment to rural values, hardworking communities, and American heritage to race fans across the country.
“Our partnership with Front Row Motorsports and NASCAR is an exciting new chapter for Rural King,” said Steve Barbarick, President & Chief Executive Officer, Rural King. “Many of our customers—and our associates—are loyal NASCAR fans, and this is a great way to connect through something they feel passionate about. With a Rural King store just down the road in Bristol, this race feels especially meaningful to us. We’re proud to see our brand on the car and can’t wait to cheer on Noah Gragson as he hits the track representing our community.”
The spring race at the Bristol Motor Speedway will mark Noah Gragson’s third NASCAR Cup Series start on the concrete-clad, .533-mile oval. The 26-year-old Las Vegas native last raced in September, starting 16th and finishing 12th in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. In total, he has four Cup Series starts at the East Tennessee short track—two on dirt and two on concrete. Gragson is very familiar with Bristol’s high banks and short straights – in addition to his four Cup Series starts, he also brings his Xfinity Series experience to the track, with six career starts at Bristol that include two wins, two additional top-10 finishes, and an impressive average finish of 7.8.
“Bristol is definitely one of the most intense tracks we go to,” said Gragson. “Even though it’s one of the slowest in terms of speed, it feels like the fastest because everything happens so quickly—your side-by-side, sometimes three-wide, and constantly in traffic. It’s wild. You think the car’s not going to grip, but somehow it sticks. It’s a real rush every lap. You’ve got to be disciplined, but not necessarily patient. From lap one, it’s go time. If you don’t make moves early, you’ll get swallowed up. You can go in with a game plan, but you don’t really know what you’ve got until you hit the track and see how the grip and traction compound are working—whether the bottom’s fast or if it moves up.”
“I’m excited to head back to Bristol, but I’m even more pumped to welcome Rural King to the team,” said Gragson. “It’s always great to bring a new partner into the sport. We’re kicking off the partnership with a store visit, and I’m really looking forward to getting to know the Rural King community. It’s going to be a fun weekend all around.”
Road Crew
Driver: Noah Gragson
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer
Hometown: Decatur, Illinois
Car Chief: Joey Forgette
Hometown: Iron Mountain, Michigan
Engineer: Dillon Silverman
Hometown: Chico, California
Engineer: Scott Bingham
Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia
Mechanic: Chris Trickett
Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia
Mechanic: Tony Infinger
Hometown: Fort Valley, Georgia
Tire Specialist: Chris Aunspaw
Hometown: Zelienople, Pennsylvania
Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller
Hometown: Monroe, New York
Spotter: Nick Del Campo
Hometown: Blauvelt, New York
Transporter Co-Driver: Nate “Cookie” Eller
Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina
Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy
Hometown: Augusta, Georgia
Pit Crew
Front Tire Changer: Thomas Hatcher
Hometown: Middleburg, Florida
Rear Tire Changer: Adam Riley
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Tire Carrier: Will Cooper
Hometown: Huntsville, Alabama
Jackman: Nate McBride
Hometown: Vidalia, Georgia
Fueler: Ray Hernandez
Hometown: Orlando, Florida
ABOUT RURAL KING
Rural King, also known as RK Holdings, LLP, planted its roots as America’s Farm and Home Store in Mattoon, Illinois in 1960. Since that time, Rural King has grown to more than 140 stores in fourteen states. Specifically, we provide a broad range of essential goods, food, feed, seed and other farm and home necessities to the communities we serve throughout Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. We welcome and encourage everyone to enjoy our long-standing tradition of offering free popcorn and coffee every time you visit our stores.
ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 34 and No. 38 Craftsman Truck Series teams from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @teamfrm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.
