“I Thought It Was Over”- Ousted From the Cup Series, Cole Custer Sends Resounding Message to SHR With Xfinity Championship Win

In a stunning comeback, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer got the downtrodden Ford camp back to game, racking up the Xfinity championship in Phoenix Raceway. Tony Stewart’s driver now has ended the bleak streak, winning a championship after its veteran Kevin Harvick won their last Cup Series championship in 2014.

Unlike its miserable Cup Series campaign where only Harvick made it past the regular season out of 4 drivers, Custer and his #00 Ford racked up 11 top-10 finishes on his route to the playoffs, carrying the hopes of the team on his shoulder until he gave the team its first ever Xfinity Series championship.

Cole Custer shakes up the world, acing Phoenix to bring SHR its first Xfinity championship

After being in the Cup Series for 3 years, I dropped Custer down back to the Xfinity Series in a move that some deemed odd by the team. However, as we reach the end of the 2023 season, the team’s decision to get the 25-year-old back has gifted them their first Xfinity Series championship and their first NASCAR title after Harvick’s 2014 triumph.

Except for a few mechanical issues the #00 looked strong, leading 96 out of 200 laps in the race to end the team’s misery. Reflecting on his landslide win at the 1-mile track, the driver shared his thoughts, expressing his disbelief vividly. He said, “I thought it was over. I mean, went from first to third, and I was able to shift the car all night and Doug Yates’s horsepower worked out, pulled me off the corner, I can’t believe we won that thing after going back to third on that restart.”

Custer pulled off a miracle during late overtime when he outmaneuvered both John Hunter Nemechek and JRM’s Justin Allgaier to lead the final laps of the race. With the field going 4-wide in the closing laps, it gave the #00 car an edge as the SHR Ford plowed through the field, holding the lead till the end of the race.

WATCH THIS STORY: A dawn for Stewart-Haas Racing: Cole Custer’s triumphant return 

Custer credits his crew chief, showing praise on him for his first-ever Xfinity title despite the “struggle”

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In no way was Cole Custer’s win an easy one. The 25-year-old had to battle it out and figure things out amidst the underwhelming series of performances from the team. While its 4-car Cup Series setup failed miserably, with only Harvick making it into the playoffs, SHR‘s hope relied on Custer and his #00 team to bring them out of the rut.

And the #00 did just that. In fact, it’s safe to say that the team did more than that. Ending the grim streak, Custer’s title win in Phoenix is certain to bring SHR back to speed. In his post-race interview, the driver revealed the struggling phase he had to persevere through. He said, “I mean we started off the year, it was a struggle and we had to kind of dig deep with each other and really talk about how to get better and just see how much the group has grown through the year, to be a part of something.”

He then credited his crew chief, Jonathan Toney as he took the opportunity to thank the whole team behind his triumph, saying, “I knew I loved working with JT, I knew he was the guy that could make it happen, I wouldn’t want to do with anybody else and I can’t thank Gene Haas enough, I mean he gave me opportunities and you know I just, I wouldn’t be here without him, I can’t thank of enough and Ford performance, Haas automation, everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing, its awesome to bring home, back to Stewart-Haas (Racing).” 

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With the stellar win, Custer not only brought back Ford’s “dark horse” persona but also got the downtrodden team out of the rut as he smoked the tires in victory, sending a strong statement to all the naysayers.