One of the major storylines for the offseason is who will be in the Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 41 car next season.
The car is currently occupied by Cole Custer who made his jump to the Cup Series from Xfinity Series back in 2020. That year, he was able to win at Kentucky, thereby making the playoffs.
However, since then, Custer hasn’t done anything noticeable to increase his chances on the team. However, compared to veteran Aric Almirola, it seems that Custer is not worse off either.
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And there has been a rumored preference among the two owners of the team. Gene Haas, who wanted Custer three years ago in the team, still wants to give him a year to prove his place in the team. However, Tony Stewart has other preferences.
“I’d like to see Cole back in it for another year at least,” Haas said last month. “But Tony has some other ideas. It’s pretty hard to argue with Tony because he’s picked so many good drivers over the years.”
One driver that Stewart wants in the SHR fold is Ryan Preece, who is represented by Kevin Harvick’s KHI Management. And it seems like Custer could be on his way out of the team soon.
Bob Pockrass reported that “SHR is leaning toward Preece” as the driver for the No. 41
Preece spent his 2022 season dividing his time between the Cup, Xfinity and the Truck Series. He has had some talks with Xfinity and truck teams but is rejecting them in the hope that SHR will come calling for him.
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