NASCAR: Five possible replacement candidates for Danica Patrick in 2018
By Asher Fair
Cole Custer
Cole Custer, 19, certainly has to be on Stewart-Haas Racing’s radar when it comes to replacing Danica Patrick in the #10 Ford. The teenaged Xfinity Series rookie has gotten better over the past two seasons driving in both the Truck and Xfinity Series, and he may just have what it takes to be a future star in the Cup Series.
Last season in his first full-time season in either of NASCAR’s two lower series, Custer drove the #00 Chevrolet in the Truck Series for JR Motorsports. He racked up 14 top 10 finishes, of which five were top 5 finishes, en route to a 10th place finish in the final championship standings.
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While a 10th place finish in the Truck Series isn’t extremely great, Stewart-Haas Racing saw Custer’s potential and put him in the #00 Ford in the Xfinity Series this season. That move has paid off, as Custer has done better so far this season in the Xfinity Series than he did in the Truck Series despite the fact that the Xfinity Series is a step up from the Truck Series.
Custer currently sits in 6th place in the Xfinity Series standings with 12 top 10 finishes and four top 5 finishes through the first 25 races of the season as he continues to hunt for his first career Xfinity Series victory. With those statistics, he has unsurprisingly already qualified for this year’s playoffs thanks to his point total.
Given the direction NASCAR teams have been taking recently in signing young drivers, with 19-year-old William Byron and 24-year-old Alex Bowman signing with Hendrick Motorsports, 21-year-old Erik Jones signing with Joe Gibbs Racing and 23-year-old Ryan Blaney signing with Team Penske for next season, Custer is definitely in play to replace Danica Patrick at Stewart-Haas Racing in 2018.
Next: 10 drivers who deserve a better Cup Series ride
Which driver do you think will take Danica Patrick’s ride in the #10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford next season? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it. Also be sure to follow Beyond the Flag on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.