Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The team began running part-time in 2004 as Means-Jenkins Motorsports under a partnership with Jimmy Means and restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, with Jenkins becoming the full team owner in 2005. In the Cup Series, FRM fields three Ford Mustang Dark Horse teams full-time; the No. 4 for Noah Gragson, the No. 34 for Todd Gilliland, and the No. 38 for Zane Smith. In the Truck Series, they field two Ford F-Series teams full-time; the No. 34 for Layne Riggs and No. 38 for Chandler Smith.
History Front Row Motorsports has become known as one of the more prominent small-budget teams in the Cup Series, operating with around 60 employees on a fraction of the budget of larger teams, and with equipment often coming second-hand from other Ford teams the team has a technical alliance with such as RFK Racing (from 2016 to 2023) and Team Penske (from 2024 onward). The team has struggled on most intermediate tracks, however since 2011, the team has become noted for its performance at superspeedways and to a lesser extent short tracks, which rely less on aerodynamic performance. This reputation has grown since the signing of noted restrictor-plate racer David Ragan in 2012, who won the team's first race at Talladega the following year with the help of another skilled plate racer and teammate David Gilliland. FRM has also won with Chris Buescher at the rain-shortened 2016 Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway and Michael McDowell at the 2021 Daytona 500. McDowell dominated and won the 2023 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard in a breakthrough moment for the team, the first time Front Row led the most laps in a race.
The team has received equipment from RFK Racing since 2010 and began a technical alliance with Roush in 2016. The team also began receiving technical support from Ford starting in 2016, after receiving limited data from Ford since 2010. In 2024, FRM switched its technical alliance from RFK Racing to Team Penske.
The team was awarded the assets of BK Racing on August 21, 2018, after former owner Ron Devine and a trustee from Union First Bank put the team up for bidding. After purchasing the assets, they ran a No. 23 car for the rest of the season, driven primarily by J. J. Yeley from NY Racing. After the 2018 season ended, this team became the No. 36 team in 2019.
Antitrust lawsuit with 23XI Racing against NASCAR
On October 2, 2024, it was announced that Front Row Motorsports, along with 23XI Racing, filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR over the terms of the updated charter agreement, as well as anti-competitive practices committed by the France family. On December 18, both teams were granted a motion of preliminary injunction, allowing them to race as chartered entries in 2025 while continuing their legal battle with NASCAR. The injunction also allowed the transfer of the two Stewart–Haas Racing charters to both teams. On December 31, FRM announced it finalized the purchase of their third charter from SHR. On June 5, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the preliminary injunction ruling. On August 25, NASCAR filed a legal notice of its agreement to issue one of the charters to a redacted entity. On December 11, 2025, after eight days in court, the case was settled.
Bob Jenkins Robert "Bob" Jenkins, the full owner of the team since 2005, resides in Dandridge, Tennessee, and is known for his involvement within the Yum! Brands family of restaurants. He is not to be confused with the motorsports announcer of the same name. Jenkins currently owns more than 250 franchises, including many KFC, Taco Bell, Long John Silver's, and A&W locations. Jenkins also owns Morristown Driver's Services (MDS), a full-service, Logistics Provider, specializing in all phases of transportation management. His family is also the owner of Jenkin's Insurance in Dandridge.
Jenkins began his NASCAR career as a sponsor for a then-Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) entry driven by Brad Teague and fielded by longtime owner Jimmy Means. Jenkins began fielding Cup Series entries in 2004 with Means, taking full ownership of the team in 2005.
The Yum! Brands, most notably Taco Bell and Long John Silver's, as well as MDS often appear on the Front Row cars when the team does not have an outside sponsor, with funds coming from Jenkins himself.
The team shop is currently in Mooresville, North Carolina in the shop that used to house MDM Motorsports and Ranier Racing.
NASCAR Cup Series Car No. 4 history Noah Gragson (2025–present)
On July 10, 2024, Front Row Motorsports signed a multi-year deal with Noah Gragson to drive for the team starting in 2025. On January 3, 2025, FRM announced that Gragson would drive the No. 4 in 2025. He started the season with a 28th-place finish at the 2025 Daytona 500. He finished in fourth-place at Talladega in the Spring.
He remained with the team in 2026. He started the 2026 season with an 11th-place finish at the 2026 Daytona 500. He scored a 9th-place finish at the Spring Talladega race. On August 14, 2026, it was announced that Gragson signed a contract extension to remain at FRM for 2027.
Car No. 4 results Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Pts 2025 Noah Gragson 4 Ford DAY28 ATL34 COA 8 PHO26 LVS31 HOM16 MAR29 DAR19 BRI23 TAL4 TEX34 KAN14 CLT10 NSH38 MCH27 MXC30 POC23 ATL25 CSC30 SON37 DOV31 IND33 IOW29 GLN21 RCH27 DAY38 DAR14 GTW30 BRI23 NHA16 KAN23 ROV28 LVS13 TAL36 MAR30 PHO27 34th 440 2026 DAY ATL COA PHO LVS DAR MAR BRI KAN TAL TEX GLN CLT NSH MCH POC COR SON CHI ATL NWS IND IOW RCH NHA DAY DAR GTW BRI KAN LVS CLT PHO TAL MAR HOM
Car No. 26 history Josh Wise (2012) In 2012, Front Row Motorsports fielded to the No. 26 car. For Daytona, the car was sponsored by presidential candidate Rick Santorum, and driven by Tony Raines. Raines qualified for the race after being one of the three fastest "go or go home" drivers during the first day of qualifying. He finished nineteenth but ran as high as second. Rookie of the Year candidate Josh Wise took over the car starting at Phoenix and ran the majority of the season as a start-and-park operation. The only full race for the team besides Daytona was at Sonoma Raceway where Wise finished 30th. Despite running the majority of the season, Wise lost the ROTY honors to a late entrant Stephen Leicht.
Car No. 26 results Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Pts 2012 Tony Raines 26 Ford DAY19 40th 172 Josh Wise PHO38 LVS40 BRI43 CAL37 MAR41 TEX39 KAN39 RCH38 TAL42 DAR43 CLT43 DOVDNQ POC42 MCH42 SON30 KEN41 DAY37 NHA38 IND37 POC37 GLN38 MCH40 BRI38 ATLDNQ RCH42 CHI38 NHADNQ DOV37 TAL43 CLTDNQ KANDNQ MAR38 TEX37 PHO37 HOM40
Car No. 34 history Mach 1 Racing (2004–2005) The No. 34 car made its debut on March 14, 2004, at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Todd Bodine driving the car as the No. 98 Lucas Oil Ford. At the time, the team was owned by Chris Edwards and was known as "Mach 1 Racing". Bodine finished 41st after dropping out within sixteen laps. Bodine drove in eight races with the team that year, along with his brother Geoffrey, Larry Gunselman, Randy LaJoie, Chad Chaffin, and Derrike Cope filling out the driving duties that year, driving a total of 29 races.
In 2005 the team changed numbers to No. 34 and planned to run full-time, but due to sponsorship limitations and lackluster performance by LaJoie, the team only ran a limited schedule. Although it attempted many races, two drivers (Ted Christopher and P. J. Jones) each qualified for a race with the team that year. In the fall of 2005, the team website announced that the team was up for sale, but that was quickly rescinded. Later that year, Front Row Motorsports moved into their shop to operate the No. 34 in addition to their current team.
Multiple drivers (2006–2008)
The combined team began running at the 2006 Auto Club 500 with Randy LaJoie as the driver. However, he failed to qualify for the races. Lajoie and teammate Chaffin swapped rides the next week in Las Vegas and Chaffin would drive for the next eight races. Chaffin would then return to FRM's other car after Kevin Lepage's departure for BAM Racing, one week after FRM purchased the owner points from Peak Fitness Racing and renumbered the No. 92 to No. 61. Chad Blount would then take over the No. 34 car for two races, however, he was unable to get into the field and was released. Carl Long, Greg Sacks, Mike Skinner would attempt the next three races with Skinner making the 3M Performance 400 and finishing 37th on the lead lap. Johnny Miller returned to FRM to run the road course at Infineon. After Blount's release, Long, Sacks, Chaffin, Brian Simo, Kertus Davis, Skinner, and Joey McCarthy attempted races for the team, with Long qualifying at Bristol. Lepage drove the car for the rest of the season and made Martinsville.
The car attempted full-time status in 2007 with Lepage, but after missing the first four races, the team decided to go part-time with Andretti and Chaffin. Lepage swapped places with Andretti and Chaffin at the No. 37 so that Lepage could continue full-time. Chaffin later left the team in early 2007. They tried to make another attempt to run the No. 34 at Texas Motor Speedway with myAutoloan.com as the sponsor, but they failed to qualify for the race.
The 2008 season began with the No. 34 planning to run a full season. The team made the Daytona 500 with Andretti behind the wheel and Makoto's Ginger Dressing brand as the associate sponsor, and manufacturer's support from Chevrolet. Andretti left the team to race in the Indianapolis 500 with Roth Racing and eventually decided to continue in the series. Tony Raines qualified for his first race of the season in the No. 34 Chevrolet Impala SS at Dover but finished 40th after transmission failure. The No. 34 Chevy ran part-time after that, with Chad Chaffin attempting the final races for the team in 2008.
John Andretti (2009) In 2009, John Andretti drove the car full-time, and the team entered into a partnership with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. The No. 34 team received owner's points from EGR's defunct No. 15 team, becoming locked in for the first five races of the season. For the Daytona 500, Window World joined as the primary sponsor, and the car was fielded as a fourth EGR entry, with EGR crew chief Steve Lane and several EGR crewmembers tending to the car. The team finished 19th in the race. Window World ended up joining the team for the first five races of the season, and additional races later in the year. The team ran EGR engines at the Daytona 500 and the spring Atlanta race, using Pro Motors Engines otherwise. Steven Lane served as the full-time crew chief and some of the EGR crew became permanent employees. Beyond Window World's involvement, the team ran mostly unsponsored; team owner Bob Jenkins began using the space on the No. 34 Chevrolet Impala SS to advertise his Taco Bell restaurants while seeking a new primary sponsor. Andretti missed two races while he ran the Indianapolis 500, and teammate Tony Raines took his place for those events. Raines quickly earned the team's best solo effort finish to that point with a 25th place at Darlington. With John back at the wheel, the team finished 16th at the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, along with numerous other top-thirty finishes throughout the year. At Michigan, race sponsor Carfax jumped aboard the No. 34 Chevrolet as the primary sponsor. The team remained in the top-35 for the entire season which guaranteed the team starts the first five races of 2010.
Travis Kvapil (2010)