This season is the first time Stewart-Haas Racing has won a championship at the Xfinity Series level, and it’s SHR’s first NASCAR championship since 2014 with Kevin Harvick. With the occasion calling for a celebration, Tony Stewart, who has a knack for comedy and happiness, seems to know no bounds. The Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner was extremely pleased with the developments in the Xfinity Series Championship 4 race.

The No. 00 Ford Mustang driver for Stewart-Haas Racing, Cole Custer, defeated Sam Mayer, John Hunter Nemechek, and Justin Allgaier on Saturday at Phoenix Raceway to win the championship. With Cole Custer claiming the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series title on Saturday, the evening started as Tony hints at a repeat of the Ben Rhodes celebratory sequence for Custer.

Tony Stewart got Cole Custer’s back

The three-time Cup Series champion encouraged the victorious Cole Custer to enjoy his win to the fullest. Taking responsibility for the consequences that could come with it, he said, “Make sure we have a phone number for a responsible adult to get him out of jail.“ in a sarcastic comment. The comment comes after the previous championship celebration by Truck Series champion Ben Rhodes. Rhodes was seemingly inebriated in the post-race press conference, which set off some laughs in the community.

The 25-year-old #00 driver shook off a late challenge from Cup Series poised John Hunter Nemechek to claim his maiden NASCAR championship. A late restart following a spin with six laps to go created a scary moment for Custer in the final moments. However, having led the race at the time of the caution, he managed to get to the finish line ahead of everybody as Nemechek spun to end up in P28.

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The race was interrupted by eight caution flags, which covered 46 laps out of the possible 202. Custer took the lead for 96 laps, with Nemechek fumbling his chance even after leading 66 laps in the race.

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Cole Custer returns to the Xfinity Series in style

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2023 marked the return of Cole Custer to full-time Xfinity racing after spending three years in the Cup Series. Winning the championship right away after a return is an incredible feat that shows his versatility as a driver. After a stint in the top flight that just produced a single victory for him, the 25-year-old won his third race in the most important race of the season.

However, he had to leave the overtime blues in the race behind him to get a glimpse of the front row. Custer fell to P3 in the first moments of the late restart as JR Motorsports’ #7 driver Justin Allgaier took the lead. Allgaier eventually went on to finish in P3 after a valiant effort.

The decisive moment for Custer was when he turned to the inside of Allgaier, which gave him a lead of 0.601 seconds. Infamous for the Martinsville incident, Sheldon Creed was a tough nut to crack as he crossed the finish line merely 0.007 seconds behind the winner. Jubilant and exuberant with the championship, Custer couldn’t stop grinning in the post-race interview as he said, “I thought it was over,”.

“I mean, went from first to third, and I was able to shift the car all night. And Doug Yates’s horsepower worked out, and pulled me off the corner. I can’t believe we won that thing after going back to third on that restart.”

Commending his team for their efforts and contribution to his success, he then added, “Man, I can’t say enough about these guys. We started the year off, and it was a struggle. We had to kind of dig deep with each other, really talk about how to get better, and to see how much this group has grown through the year.

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Custer has finished runner-up in the series twice in his career but has yet to get to lay his hands on the silverware. Well, the long wait ends now.