Noah Gragson will take his first swing of the season at the Martinsville Speedway this weekend. A&W Root Beer will make their 2025 season debut, partnering with Gragson and the No. 4 team for the 400-lap race.
Pioneers in the Industry – Established in 1919, A&W has been a pioneer in the fast-food industry. It all started when Roy W. Allen opened a roadside root beer stand in Lodi, CA. From there, Allen partnered with Frank Wright, and together they coined the name A&W, which has become synonymous with root beer ever since. Then, in 1926 A&W began franchising with a system that has expanded internationally. After a whole century, A&W® Root Beer remains the most popular in its category among consumers.
Gragson’s tenure at Martinsville outside of the NASCAR Cup Series is impressive. In five career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the track, he only has one finish outside of the top-four, and that lone 20th-place result in April 2022 came after Gragson qualified third and led 23 laps before he was caught up in a 15-car accident on the frontstretch 10 laps short of the finish. From 2020 through 2022, Gragson’s finishes in the Xfinity Series at Martinsville were third (October 2020), second (April 2021), first (October 2021), 20th (April 2022) and fourth (October 2022).
Gragson’s Martinsville history in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is just as impressive. In four career Truck Series starts from 2017 through 2018, Gragson never finished worse than seventh. He came home fourth in his Truck Series debut at the track in April 2017, won in his next Martinsville start in October 2017, and then finished fifth and seventh, respectively, in his last two Truck Series starts in March and October 2018.
“Martinsville has been good to me—I’ve won here in both Trucks and Xfinity,” said Gragson. “Now, the goal is to add a Cup win to that list. I’m confident in our guys to get the car where it needs to be to make it happen.”
Front Row Motorsports | Graphic: Front Row Motorsports
