Stewart Haas Racing is slowly heading towards its final races before finally closing its curtains in NASCAR. For fans, drivers, and the team, it’s an emotional time. Every race is crucial as they approach with the will to end on a high note. At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, two SHR drivers had an awesome qualifying session. And that was the game-changer, as Jeff Gordon, a five-time race winner at the 2.5-mile track, emphasized the importance of a good qualifying. Both Cole Custer and Riley Herbst finished first and second in qualifying, and they ended up finishing in the same positions in the race!

SHR’s Cole Custer and Riley Herbst shine at IMS

Riley Herbst from Stewart-Haas Racing won his first race of the season in an intense NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, clinching a spot in the 2024 playoffs by taking the lead in the last corner. The battle was so intense that the last three laps saw different leaders, but Herbst led the most important one and edged out Cole Custer for an iconic 1-2 finish for SHR. Herbst’s last win came at Las Vegas in October last year, so it’s been a hot minute. And it came right after Cole Custer won at Pocono — surely SHR is on a roll!

Post-race, Cole Custer was all smiles, even though he did not win himself. After all, why not? SHR struggled throughout the season and it is only now that they seem to have the pace to win. Custer told NASCAR, “I mean, two cars up the front at the front all day. I think now I mean, we finished qualified one to finish one, too. So an unbelievable day for SHR. And hopefully keep this role and a big day for you. Overall, big weekend for sure. I mean, this is a great way to kick everything off.”

However, that’s not to say Cole Custer didn’t want to win. In fact, he even reasoned his second-place finish saying it was a disadvantage to lead. He said, “I just needed one less lap, you know. I felt like it was kind of a disadvantage to lead, in my opinion, all day. If you were in second, it actually got your car looser and it would save your tires. But what an awesome day for SHR.” Well, Cole Custer just won at Pocono, made his seat in the playoffs, and now has his teammate. Back-to-back wins and sweeping in the world’s most iconic tracks in Indianapolis—they seem to be wanting to close their show with a bang!

Cole Custer’s returning to the Cup Series

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With SHR closing down, almost everyone is moving to a new home–even Cole Custer. The 26-year-old returned to Xfinity after he raced in the Cup series. In 2023, he went on to win the NASCAR Xfinity championship at Phoenix Raceway. This year, he has had a rough time in terms of winning, but he finally managed to break free at Pocono. He fiercely won the race and made his place in the playoff. And even in Indianapolis, he finished at a stellar P2. 

With two years and numerous race wins and a championship, he is now ready to rejoin the Cup Series. It was announced just on Saturday that Custer will indeed be piloting the no. 41 Ford Mustang for the Hass Factory team. Custer said, “Haas Factory Team will essentially be a new race team next year, and it‘s going to take all of us to build it into an organization that can go out and win races. I want this opportunity and I‘m ready for this challenge.”

Now this doesn’t come as a surprise, because only last week his father and the new team’s president Joe Custer hinted at Custer getting a seat for the upcoming year. Gene Haas too commented, “Cole has represented Haas Automation for more than half his life and he‘s delivered results every step of the way. He just wins, and he‘s proven that repeatedly,” Granted, Custer didn’t get to prove his mantle in the Cup Series, but with more experience and practice at Xfinity it won’t be surprising to see him make more of a mark next season. In fact, Gene Haas believes, so he said, “The NASCAR Cup Series is tough, but Cole is coming back wiser and tougher. We‘re very happy to have him in our colors and in our race car.”

With just a few races remaining before the regular season closes, the SHR team is working at a heightened pace.