NASCAR: Will Cole Custer be promoted to Cup at Stewart-Haas Racing in 2020?

Is NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Cole Custer in a position to be promoted to Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cup Series team next year?

Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Christopher Bell had been considered a dark horse candidate to land with Stewart-Haas Racing in the Cup Series next season if he was unable to be promoted to Joe Gibbs Racing’s Cup Series team ahead of the 2020 season.

Bell has long been considered the best driver not competing in the Cup Series, and there were justifiably questions as to whether or not he would be willing to spend a third consecutive season driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Xfinity Series.

But Bell is set to return to Joe Gibbs Racing for the third consecutive season as a full-time driver. That said, it has not yet been confirmed if he will replace one of their four current Cup Series drivers or if he will return for his third consecutive season in the Xfinity Series.

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Regardless of whether he ends up competing in the Xfinity Series or the Cup Series, the 24-year-old Norman, Oklahoma native is no longer in contention to be one of Stewart-Haas Racing’s four Cup Series drivers next year.

As a result, is Stewart-Haas Racing Xfinity Series driver Cole Custer in prime position to be promoted to the Cup Series next season?

Custer is currently competing in his third season as a full-time driver in the Xfinity Series, and he sits in second place in the championship standings with four victories and nine top four finishes through the 33-race season’s first 15 races. Last season, he finished in second in the standings with just one victory, the second victory of his Xfinity Series career.

Custer has led a career-high 694 of the 2,696 laps that he has completed so far this season, smashing his previous career-high of 389 that he set last season, and he has done it in less than half the season.

The progression that the 21-year-old Ladera Ranch, California native has displayed over the past few seasons has been evident but largely underappreciated because of what Bell and reigning champion Tyler Reddick of Richard Childress Racing have been able to do.

Nevertheless, he is far more of a contender than he was two years ago when he finished in fifth place in the championship standings with one victory, his first career victory in the season finale.

Is this level of progression enough to warrant Stewart-Haas Racing promoting him to their Cup Series team as the replacement for one of their four current drivers as opposed to retaining him for what would be his fourth consecutive season driving for the team in the Xfinity Series?

At this point, despite the fact that Custer seems more than ready to move up to the Cup Series, it’s hard to see this happening. But it’s even harder to rule out.

Kevin Harvick isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and he is Stewart-Haas Racing’s oldest driver at 43 years old. Clint Bowyer, the team’s second oldest driver at 40 years old, is in his third season driving for the team, and while he has struggled with only two victories in these three seasons, he has been a solid veteran presence at the four-car team along with Harvick.

Aric Almirola, their second youngest driver at 35 years old, had an exceptional first season driving for the team last season, and he has done a solid job so far this year given the fact that Stewart-Haas Racing have struggled as a whole and are still searching for their first victory following the 36-race season’s first 16 races.

Daniel Suarez, by far their youngest driver at 27 years old, entered the season needing a strong year after two below average seasons driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, and while he is still searching for the first victory of his Cup Series career, he has done a solid job and is in position to qualify for the playoffs.

So who would Custer replace?

Bowyer probably has the best chance to depart the team following the 2019 season. That said, Custer is still only 21 years old, so it’s not like Stewart-Haas Racing need to give Bowyer the boot just to rush Custer to the Cup Series even though he is already in his third season in the Xfinity Series and is loaded with potential.

But it is also worth nothing that Stewart-Haas Racing have made a habit of changing their driver lineup in recent seasons, as they have not kept the same lineup from one season to the next since the 2015 season to the 2016 season. They have never done so since switching from Chevrolet to Ford.

Although their recent driver changes have not been what you might consider a part of the youth movement like the addition of Custer would, they could very well continue this trend with the addition of Custer, especially given his upside. It would be hard to find fault with them if they do.

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Is Cole Custer in a position to be promoted to Stewart-Haas Racing’s NASCAR Cup Series team for the 2020 season after three consecutive seasons driving for the team in the Xfinity Series? If the team do opt to alter their driver lineup for the fourth consecutive season, he would appear to be the driver on his way into that lineup.

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