Cole Custer will make NASCAR Cup Series debut at Las Vegas
By Nick Tylwalk
As suspected, Cole Custer will get a chance to race in the Cup Series while still running full-time in the XFINITY Series.
Add Cole Custer to the ever-growing list of young guns in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
The 20-year-old from California, is signed to Stewart-Haas Racing and running the team’s No. 00 Ford in the XFINITY Series again this season, but as reported by Jayski, he’s getting his first Cup Series start in just a few weeks. Custer will drive the No. 51 Ford for Rick Ware Racing in the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube on Sunday, March 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
He’ll bring a sponsor with him as well, with Haas Automation adorning the hood of the 51 at Vegas.
“This is a dream come true to compete in the Cup Series,” Custer said in a press release. “I can’t thank Rick Ware Racing and Haas Automation enough for the opportunity to race at Las Vegas. It’s going to be a new experience for me, but I feel that we can have a productive day by completing all the laps and seeing the checkered flag.”
Custer qualified for the NASCAR XFINITY Series playoffs in 2017, his first full season in the series. He just missed out on being part of the Championship 4, and if he had been eligible, he would have won the championship, as he picked up his first career victory in the season finale at Homestead.
There was some school of thought that Custer might get called up by SHR when the team decided to part ways with Danica Patrick at the end of last season, but Aric Almirola ended up getting the call instead. It will be interesting to see how many more races, if any that Rick Ware Racing puts Custer in its car.
Next: See the Cup Series entry list for Atlanta
Justin Marks drove the 51 in the Daytona 500, bringing it home to a somewhat surprising 12th-place finish. Harrison Rhodes, who drove in the XFINITY Series for JD Motorsports last season, is making his Cup Series debut in the car at Atlanta this weekend.