What’s Happening?

On Thursday, Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported that Cole Custer is one of the candidates to race for Front Row Motorsports in 2025. This move would create a lot of intrigue if it happens. Why would Custer go here, and would it be his best option?

• Cole Custer competed in the NASCAR Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing for three years. He won only one race and finished outside the top 20 in points in two of his three seasons.
• However, he has found his form again in the Xfinity Series. He won the 2023 Series Championship with three wins, making some wonder if he should get another opportunity at NASCAR’s top level.
• Fans aren’t sure what to make of Cole Custer if he jumps up to Cup. Many believe he’s earned another Cup Series opportunity, but, others aren’t convinced due to his difficult time in the Cup Series.

Does Custer Deserve Another Cup Series Opportunity?

Cole Custer’s Cup Series resume is frankly unimpressive. He only won one race, and that one win came at Kentucky in 2020. He only led 5 laps in this race, so, it was far from a dominant performance.

Cole Custer indeed drove for SHR as the team began to decline. Between 2021 and 2022, the team only won a combined four races between its drivers.

However, he was still the worst-performing SHR driver during this time period. In 2021 and 2022, he finished the lowest of any SHR driver in the Cup Series points standings.

However, he turned that around when he jumped to the Xfinity Series in 2023. He won three races and sat safely in the top five in points for almost the entire season. He only dropped outside of the top 10 one time all season, and that came after race six of the season. He capped it all off with the big prize the Xfinity Series Championship.

Two drivers on the current Cup Series grid spent some time in Cup only to jump back down to the lower series to rebuild their careers. How does it pan out?

John Hunter Nemechek and Daniel Hemric sit 24th and 30th in the points standings, respectively, after taking this career path. It’s still early in the season, but, it hasn’t worked out for them so far.

Would This Be the Right Move?

For Front Row Motorsports, it would be an interesting move. As opposed to potentially signing one of SHR’s top drivers like Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson, or Josh Berry, they dip into the Xfinity Series to sign Cole Custer. That would be seen as a questionable move from the outside.

For Custer, it would seem like a no-brainer. Jumping ship from a team that, at the very least, has no direct path into the Cup Series to a Tier One Cup Series Ford team would be a big jump. Of all Cup Series rides available, this might be the best one for Custer.

Would Cole Custer joining Front Row Motorsports be the right move for both sides? Let us know on Discord or X what your take is, and don’t forget you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and even YouTube.