Cole Custer’s Step Back To The Nascar Xfinity Series Could Be A Giant Leap Forward

Sometimes, you need to take a step back to take two steps forward. That’s what Stewart-Haas Racing is looking to do with Cole Custer, who was recently demoted to the Nascar Xfinity Series following a three-year stint in the Cup Series.

Ryan Preece, a short track ace who spent three years in the Cup Series with JTG Daugherty Racing, had SHR co-owner Tony Stewart court him last year to become the team’s reserve driver. Preece will replace Custer in the No. 41 Ford. The decision leaves Custer, 24, wondering what his future will look like.

“Cole Custer has been a part of SHR since 2017 and we’re glad to have him stay with us,” Stewart said in a team release. “Cole’s experience will be invaluable to Riley Herbst as he continues his development in the Xfinity Series.”

Over the summer months, it wasn’t certain whether the No. 41 ride would be part of the silly season. Custer said multiple times that he didn’t want to discuss the future and was solely focused on the present.

The issue, however, was Custer’s on-track performance was lacking compared to his three SHR teammates. He doesn’t have a top-five finish since winning at Kentucky on a late-race restart in the middle of 2022, his rookie campaign.

When the team announced Aric Almirola signed a multi-year deal after initially announcing he was retiring, it left SHR scrambling to see where it could put Preece.

This past season, Custer showed slight improvements from 2021, earning three top 10s and his first career pole award at the Bristol dirt race. It wasn’t enough to keep him in Nascar’s premier division. Custer also won SS GreenLight Racing’s first-ever Xfinity Series race in 2022, picking up the win at Auto Club Speedway in a SHR prepared entry.

The decision became a battle between the team’s two co-owners, Stewart and Gene Haas, who also owns Haas F1 Team. Haas wanted to keep Custer, whose father Joe Custer is the team president, in the car.

But it made sense to elevate Preece, a fan favorite, to the Cup Series. Kevin Harvick’s KHI Management represents Preece, and he is likely bringing sponsorship dollars with him.

Preece steadily worked his way through the Nascar rankings after rising to stardom in the Whelen Modified Tour. In 2016, he entered the Xfinity Series full time with JD Motorsports. Disappointed while racing in the middle of the field, he took the sponsorship dollars he had and brought it to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017 and 2018 for partial schedules and won in his second start at Iowa Speedway.

From 2019-2021, Preece ran the entire Cup Series schedule for JTG Daugherty Racing, co-owned by former NBA player Brad Daugherty. He had several moments of brightness, but the underfunded second car for the small team couldn’t give him a chance to compete for wins.

“Ryan has bet on himself a couple of times in his career and it’s always paid off. Now we’re betting on him,” Stewart said of adding Preece to the lineup. “Now, Ryan’s got the right opportunity in Cup. We’re proud to have him and look forward to seeing what he can do in our racecars.”

The decision could help Custer reset his career. At only 24, he has plenty of time to get back to the Cup Series.

With Harvick and Almirola only having a couple of years left at the Cup level before they officially retire (Harvick could potentially depart following the 2023 season), SHR will have a pair of open seats. It leaves room for Custer to return when ready, and for SHR to select an outside free agent.

Custer replaced Daniel Suarez at SHR in 2020 in a similar battle between the owners. Stewart wanted Suarez to stay, but Haas evidently chose Custer to be promoted after a seven-win Xfinity Series season and second consecutive trip to the Championship 4. This time around, Stewart is the one who came out on top of the internal battle.

Now, the pressure is on for Custer to replicate those results. If he can run well and compete for a championship, his future is still bright.