Bubba Wallace’s spotter Freddie Kraft is of the opinion that Cole Custer stepping down in the Xfinity Series will be good for him.
After long deliberation, Stewart-Haas Racing decide to go with co-owner Tony Stewart’s choice of driver for the No. 41 car. Ryan Preece got the nod while Custer will now have to spend at least a year at the Xfinity Series.
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Having already driver at the highest tier of NASCAR, it could be a bit disappointing for Custer at this point of his career but it could also be a blessing in disguise for the driver who was struggling to perform at the Cup Series.
And that’s what Kraft thinks. He said that Custer could even win ten Xfinity races and get his confidence level back up.
“Listen, I think it’s spot on. I think this is a win-win for both of these guys. You know, Preece had a little bit of money behind him. I think that kind of maybe pushed him over the line to get this right away from Cole. But there’s no secret Cole struggled last year. I think this is a great opportunity for Cole to take a step back. You’ve seen how well he ran in the few Xfinity races he ran last year.”
“So he’s gonna go back and I mean the Xfinity field basically lost what, 75% of their winners, like, you know, they lost. So you know, this is an opportunity for Cole to go back and win another ten Xfinity races possibly as well as he ran. That’s kind of, you know, he can kind of reset. And get back on, you know, get his confidence back up and maybe come back.”
The team will also have eyes on Preece as he is expected to perform well to justify the owner’s decision. As for Custer, as Kevin Harvick is contemplating retiring these days, he could be back sooner in the Cup Series than expected.