Cole Custer spent three years in the NASCAR Cup Series for Stewart-Haas Racing. Three forgettable years His below-par performances didn’t do him any favors, as the 25-year-old was demoted to the Xfinity Series after the 2022 season. It only took the SHR man one year to prove his worth, and according to Denny Hamlin, it won’t be long before we see him at the highest level again.

In a season filled with misery for Stewart-Haas Racing, Cole Custer was the silver lining. The newly-crowned Xfinity Series champion brought a smile to Tony Stewart’s face and made something about 2023 memorable. It was the performance of a man who knew that he had a lot to prove and overcame that challenge masterfully.

Denny Hamlin backs Stewart-Haas Racing’s 2022 Outcast

Custer’s win turned a lot of heads, including that of Denny Hamlin. The driver of the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing car seems to be a fan of the SHR driver’s work this season. In a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin made a bold prediction about the 25-year-old’s future after winning the Xfinity Series title.

“He’s a really good guy, and he tried to cut his teeth in the Cup Series, and he had some success. I think he won in his rookie year, but it just kind of went downhill from there. I mean, you can… it’s really tough to say now in retrospect, now that we’ve had a little time, like, was it him or not?” Hamlin posed the question.

“I think he’s going to get his spot back in the Cup Series sooner than later. Certainly his results in the Xfinity Series, as much as he is proving himself, he probably deserves that, so he gets to enjoy this Xfinity win as he should,” the Actions Detrimental podcast host added.

Getting demoted to the Xfinity Series from the Cup Series is something no driver would want to go through. However, if one is having a hard time finding their confidence in the Cup, then that move can bring about a positive change. That is exactly what happened with SHR’s 2023 champion.

Custer alluded to this on a recent episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast. The driver of the No. 00 Ford Mustang said that he was frustrated to be demoted but not everything was negative. At the end of the day, every driver wants to fight for race wins regularly. The 25-year-old knew that SHR cars would be competitive in the Xfinity Series and there was a sense of excitement as a result.

However, everything did not fall into place for the #00 SHR team right from the start of the season.

Read More – “We Kinda S*cked” – Tony Stewart’s Xfinity Champion Tells the Truth Behind His Championship Season

Cole Custer acknowledges growth after struggling earlier this season

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Cole Custer had to struggle initially to consistently challenge for race wins. The 25-year-old revealed that he and his team had to dig deep and work their socks off to get to where they are right now. It was indeed an outstanding effort from the #00 team.

“I can’t say enough about these guys. We started the year off and it was a struggle and 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,” the 2023 Xfinity Series champion said.

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Custer has proven his worth this year and his progress will be followed by several interested Cup Series teams. When do you think we might see him back in the Cup Series?