Cole Custer has his eyes on the prize. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver is aiming to become the first driver since Tyler Reddick to become a back-to-back Xfinity Series champion. However, with the team ceasing operations after the race in Phoenix, the 26-year-old is hoping to give his employers a fitting farewell by securing silverware in their last race. With the competition heating up and the stakes higher than ever, that might be easier said than done.

Having been there and done that, Cole Custer knows exactly what will be expected of him in the winner-takes-all fixture. The question is, will he be able to live up to the expectations and defend his championship crown?

Cole Custer credits his team for consistency

In many ways, the ongoing Xfinity Series campaign is playing out exactly like last year for Cole Custer. The California native managed to secure two wins in the regular season, just like last year and has three top-five finishes during the playoffs before the Championship 4 race. The parallels are uncanny and it could get even more coincidental. Custer secured a clutch result at Phoenix Raceway during the 2023 season, winning the race when it mattered the most to secure his first title in NASCAR’s second tier. With the same fixture on the horizon this time around, could history repeat itself?

When asked if winning would be crucial to securing his consecutive Xfinity Series title, Cole Custer told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “I would say so for sure. It just seems like that’s how it’s always played out. You gotta go out there and plan on winning. There are four really good cars in the playoffs for the championship. You have to bring everything you got for sure.” Comparing the ongoing season to last year, he went on to say, “I think it’s been very similar throughout the season with how much of a grind it’s been. Our team’s done a great job of maximizing our days, been in the fight every single weekend pretty much.”

Just like last year, Justin Allgaier will remain in contention for the championship this time around as well. Joining him will be Austin Hill and AJ Allmendinger, as both drivers won the Round of Eight playoff fixtures at Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami respectively. As for Cole Custer, the SHR driver hasn’t finished lower than fourth in his last two races and will hope to build on that momentum at Phoenix to secure a race win. The high-stakes fixture will also be his last Xfinity Series appearance for the foreseeable future, as Custer will be joining the Haas Factory Team in the Cup Series in 2025.

However, Cole Custer will be wary of Chandler Smith, who might be looking for payback in the final race of the season. Smith slapped the reigning Xfinity Series champion after the race at Martinsville and hinted at revenge in the post-race interview by saying, “He can think we’re even and all, but he’s the one with more stakes next week.”

Even though NASCAR has fined the Joe Gibbs Racing driver $10,000, Smith has no seat for the 2025 season and will feel he has nothing to lose going into the crucial fixture at Phoenix Raceway.

Custer reflects on returning to Phoenix as the defending champion

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Dominant. That’s the right word to describe Cole Custer’s 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix last year. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver led 96 laps on the 1-mile track, finishing second in Stage 1 and winning Stage 2 in his lightning-fast No. 00 Ford Mustang. Going into the fixture, the California native hadn’t entered Victory Lane in 16 races, but just like a true winner, he stepped up and pulled off a result just at the right time.

With another shot at the Xfinity Series title on the horizon, Custer said, “There’s always a boost of confidence coming into Phoenix as a champion, but I’m also the reigning champion who’s trying to go back-to-back with the same team. That hasn’t been done in years, and it’s one for the history books if I can make it happen. We just have to finish the best of the four drivers. We’re always working to be better, no matter what. That’s been our goal the past two years. I’m confident in my team, though.”

No driver since Tyler Reddick, who won consecutive Xfinity Series titles in 2018 and 2019, has managed to defend their championship in NASCAR’s second tier. The achievement will be a monumental one, not just for Cole Custer but the entire Stewart-Haas Racing team, who will give it their all one last time.

The season is coming to a close, and so is SHR’s legacy in NASCAR, but Custer took to X and tweeted “We’re not finished yet”, highlighting that there is still plenty to race for in the upcoming race at the grandest stage of them all.