Cole Custer has a strong 4-word message for Tony Stewart’s SHR ahead of Xfinity title-deciding race at Phoenix

The defending NACAR Xfinity Series champion, Cole Custer, seems laser-focused to clinch a back-to-back championship at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday. Custer recently shared a four-word message on social media that reflects his determination to bring home the Xfinity Series title for Tony Stewart-co-owned Stewart-Hass Racing as the organization prepares to shut its doors after Phoenix.

The Phoenix Championship weekend concludes the 2024 season and marks the end of an era for SHR in NASCAR. In May, SHR announced that it would close its operations at the end of the 2024 season.

Ahead of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race, Cole Custer on his official X account shared a video that included the clip from his last year’s championship win and a message that stated, "There’s no reason why we can’t go back-to-back here and have a shot.”.

Custer also captioned that message in the post, saying:

“We're not finished yet.”

The 26-year-old driver's “not finished yet” strong message reflects that he is hungry to secure the title for both himself and SHR and looking to cap off the team's final season in NASCAR on a high note.

This is also a final race for Custer as a full-time driver in the Xfinity Series, as he will return to the Cup Series next season with the #41 of Haas Factory Team, which is a reorganization of SHR.

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Cole Custer reflects on returning to Phoenix as defending champion

The Ladera Ranch, California-native returned to the Phoenix title-deciding race one year later, looking to replicate last year’s performance. Custer led a race-high 96 laps in the 2023 Xfinity Championship race, and that was enough to hold off the other three contenders to win his first NASCAR Championship.

Custer joins the final 4 field for a shot to claim back-to-back Championships with the same team, a feat not accomplished since Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in 2011 and 2012 with Roush Fenway Racing.

Speaking to the media ahead of the season-finale weekend, Cole Custer discussed his confidence heading to Phoenix as a defending champion and the chances to claim it again. Here’s what Custer said (via Speedway Media):

“There’s always a boost of confidence coming into Phoenix as a champion, but I’m also the reigning champion who’s trying to go back-to-back with the same team. That hasn’t been done in years, and it’s one for the history books if I can make it happen.”

“We just have to finish the best of the four drivers. We’re always working to be better, no matter what. That’s been our goal the past two years. I’m confident in my team, though. I think we’ve got a good shot this weekend to be the champions once again. It would make this bittersweet weekend end on the highest note possible.”

Cole Custer has made nine starts at Phoenix, where he scored a victory, four top-five, and seven top-10 finishes with an average finish of 7.6.