Stewart Haas Racing Replaces Cole Custer With Ryan Preece

Stewart Haas Racing will be replacing Cole Custer with Ryan Preece in the No. 41 Ford next season.

16 Nov 2022

After serving in a reserve driver role last season, Preece is being promoted to the full-time driver in Cup next year. The team announced the move on the heels of another lackluster season for Custer. Tony Stewart's team was not firing on all cylinders in 2022, but hopes to change that with this driver swap.

Custer is heading back to the Xfinity Series, where he will be teammates with Riley Herbst in a second Ford machine. He recorded one victory in his three full-time Cup seasons, but will now serve a different role for the organization. Most of his success came in Xfinity, where he has won ten races.

Preece has been a full-time driver in the Cup Series before, driving for JTG Daugherty Racing from 2019 through 2021. In addition to his reserve role with SHR last season, Preece ran two races for Rick Ware Racing at Dover and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Outside of Cup, Preece found success in Xfinity and Trucks. He won the Truck race in Nashville and had nine top-ten finishes in ten starts. He recorded two top-ten finishes in his three Xfinity starts as well. The team did not announce a crew chief of any sponsors for Preece.

Stewart Haas Racing Replaces Cole Custer With Ryan Preece

"Ryan has been a real asset to our race team this year as we've developed the NextGen car," Stewart said. "The time and effort he's put into our program, combined with his real-world racing experience, earned him this opportunity. Ryan has bet on himself a couple of times in his career and it's always paid off. Now we're betting on him."

Patience and persistence have finally paid off for Preece. "This is the opportunity I've been working for. Nothing was guaranteed at the start of this year, but I felt like if I put in the time, whether it was in a racecar or in a simulator, that SHR was the place for me. I know this season just finished and most people are looking to take a break, but I can't wait to get going."

The four-car lineup for the organization is now set for the 2023 season with Kevin Harvick, Chase Briscoe, Aric Almirola, and Preece.