Dale Earnhardt Jr. addresses rumors of Noah Gragson going to No. 3 of RCR, Austin Dillon retiring

Dale Earnhardt Jr. addressed some fascinating rumors pertaining to Noah Gragson and Austin Dillon, and the future of Richard Childress Racing, as silly season begins to hit full swing.

Following the news of Stewart-Haas Racing closing their doors, Gragson has been left looking for a full-time ride in 2025. He could always rejoin Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR Xfinity Series team, but he’s shown he has what it takes to stick in the Cup Series thus far in 2024, revealing some serious skill in the No. 10 Ford.

Would it be possible for Gragson to takeover Dillon’s legendary No. 3 ride in 2025, and move the former Daytona 500 winner into more of a front-office role with RCR? Earnhardt Jr. has heard that rumor, but he doesn’t know if he sees it coming to fruition.

“I’ve heard rumors that Noah could be going to the No. 3,” Earnhardt Jr. stated, via the latest episode of the Dale Jr. Download. “I don’t believe those rumors. That’s really kind of far fetched. Even though, I don’t know, Austin retiring and sending him to a managing role at RCR is something I see in his future.

“I hope that Austin would one day be the president, and running RCR, but I don’t know that the time has come, to make that choice. They’ve made some changes on his own team, to try and get him better, and he had a great run this past week. So maybe he still believes that there’s something left in the tank.”

Over the course of his Cup Series career, Dillon has won some major races, but he’s never reached his full potential that many marked out for him when he was rising through the ranks. In 2024, he only has two top ten finishes, and an average finish of 24.333 on the season.

On the other hand, Gragson has performed well while racing for a sinking ship, capturing five top ten finishes, and amassing an average finish of 18.3 on the campaign. Additionally, he has one top five finish, as well.

With the rest of his Stewart-Haas Racing team struggling as well, it’s certainly more than most expected Gragson to do with the ride. His Legacy Motor Club stint didn’t exactly inspire confidence, but Gragson has redeemed himself well in 2024.

Would that be enough for Noah Gragson to drive a car as legendary as the No. 3, and would Austin Dillon even be willing to give up his seat? That remains to be seen, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. is pedaling some interesting scuttlebutt as his former wheelman looks for his next ride.