Denny Hamlin expects Cole Custer to take over as driver for Haas Factory Team
Haas Factory Team has yet to announce who will pilot its lone NASCAR Cup Series charter in 2025, though Denny Hamlin has a pretty good idea of who it will be.
Gene Haas made the decision to remain in the Cup Series as a single-car organization following last month’s announcement that Stewart-Haas Racing will shut down operations after the 2024 season. Current SHR Vice President Joe Custer will be in charge of the team, leading Hamlin and many to believe that his son, Cole Custer, will be making a return to the Cup Series with the newly formed race team.
Hamlin said on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast Monday he wasn’t shocked by Haas’s decision to keep one charter and let go of the other three, adding that Custer has done enough in the Xfinity Series to warrant getting another opportunity in the Cup Series.
Denny Hamlin weighs in on Cole Custer potentially returning to Cup Series
“I don’t know why this became such a shock to everyone,” Hamlin said. “There was kind of rumors of three charters being sold. And the fourth one, they didn’t know what they were gonna do with. But I had heard for a while that they were gonna keep one. I’m on the inside so it wasn’t a shock to me. But I guess to the outside, it was shock of oh wow, Gene Haas is gonna stay in the Cup Series with one car. What the manufacturer is, is all TBD. Driver is TBD and what not, you gotta assume it’s gonna be Cole Custer.
“I would assume it’s Cole Custer simply with the relationship Gene Haas has with Joe Custer. Which is Cole’s father, who essentially kind of runs Stewart-Haas now on the day-to-day. They’ve got a long-standing relationship there which is good. I think Cole has earned his right to if he gets the opportunity back in the Cup car. Think he has earned that right through performance. I think he’s your regular season point leader in Xfinity right now, he’s up front and solid every single week. And sometimes it’s good to get a reset. And I think Cole got that reset and is certainly warranted to be back in the Cup Series on Sunday.”
Cole Custer comments on getting Haas Factory Cup seat for 2025
Custer, 26, secured his first career Xfinity Series championship driving the No. 00 Ford for SHR this past season. Though winless through 16 races this season, Custer sits atop the current point standings with 13 top-10 and seven top-five finishes.
Custer spent three seasons behind the wheel of the No. 41 Ford for SHR in the Cup Series from 2020-22. He finished 16th, 26th and 25th, respectively, in the points standings. He took home his first and only checkered flag at Kentucky back in July 2020.
Custer said this past weekend at New Hampshire he’d “love to” return to the Cup Series with HFT.
“Yeah, I mean, I’d love to,” Custer said. “You know, that’s what my career has been I guess is it’s always tied to – that relationship. I think you know what Gene Haas has done in this sport. And you know it would be a dream come true to get to run that Cup car. I’ve tried to go back to the Xfinity Series to prove what I can do and try and make the most of it. And you just kind of try and hope it all sorts itself out.”