Career comebacks, pleasant surprises, underachievers, rivalries, teammate drama and an unlikely champion. There were a lot of great stories throughout the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
At the beginning of the season it seemed like John Hunter Nemechek, Josh Berry and Cole Custer would make up the latest iteration of the Big 3. As it turned out, the top three drivers in the season was a fluid situation, with a rotation of others joining Nemechek and Austin Hill
Chandler Smith looked strong early in the year. Sammy Smith got an early win and looked ready to run neck and neck with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Nemechek. Custer was a top 10 machine and Sam Mayer came on with a late surge. Justin Allgaier was always a factor. Even Riley Herbst enjoyed his moments near the beginning and end of the season.
But some drivers — and storylines — stood out above the rest, and here are biggest ones of the 2023 season.
5. Cole Custer’s Redemption
Custer was relegated to the Xfinity Series after three years at the NASCAR Cup Series level, where he had scored one win, two top fives and 12 top 10s.
Custer set out to prove he still had Cup-level talent. But six races into his Xfinity redemption tour, that was in question. Custer had just one top 10 and was routinely getting outrun by teammate Herbst.
Fortunately for Custer, the slow start didn’t last. Starting with the seventh race of the season, he became a model of consistency. In the final 28 races, Custer scored three wins, 14 top fives and 20 top 10s.
As the playoffs went on, Custer appeared primed for elimination at Martinsville Speedway in the penultimate race of the year. On the last lap, all hell broke loose and many cars were collected in a last lap crash, including Custer. His car was destroyed in the wreck, but he was able to crawl over the finish line in reverse in 19th. His perseverance was enough to move on to the championship.
The following week at Phoenix Raceway, Custer led the most laps and held off the field on numerous late race restarts to capture the title.
There was no time during the season where Custer might’ve been deemed the favorite to win the championship. That honor was reserved for Nemechek, Hill and even Allgaier. But in the playoff era, one race can make all the difference, and with a win in the finale, Custer scored his first NASCAR title.
Custer is set to defend his title in the Xfinity Series in 2024.