Cole Custer returns to NASCAR Xfinity Series victory lane at Pocono
LONG POND, Pa. — Cole Custer became the first repeat NASCAR Xfinity Series winner at Pocono Raceway as he snapped a short but arduous winless streak Saturday.
Custer took the lead from Justin Allgaier on lap 82, coming to eight laps to go. Allgaier, with help from William Byron, mounted a strong challenge to the Stewart-Haas Racing driver despite being on older tires.
Custer pitted for the last time under green on lap 62 while Allgaier pitted under caution on lap 47. When green flag pit stops started winding down on lap 67, Allgaier stayed out to save enough fuel and go for the win.
Then, Stephen Mallozzi stalled on the short chute on lap 70 and brought out the caution, erasing the big gap he banked on.
Another caution for Mason Massey and Jeremy Clements spinning on lap 76 meant Allgaier had enough fuel but not the tires to win. He took the lead briefly in turn one on lap 86.
However, Cole Custer got back by him after fending him off in turn two to get his first win of the 2024 Xfinity Series season. Custer led twice for 25 laps to get what was also the first Xfinity Series win for Ford in 2024.
TOP-10 FINISHERS (LAP 90): Cole Custer, Justin Allgaier (led twice for 30 laps), William Byron (led twice for 16 laps), Sheldon Creed (led 7 laps), Taylor Gray, AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill (led a lap), Parker Kligerman, Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer
Allmendinger had one of the best saves of the season in turn one on the restart with 40 laps to go. He pitted shortly thereafter and shuffled around to finish sixth.
Mayer triggered the final caution with six laps to go when he bumped and spun Shane van Gisbergen. van Gisbergen finished 31st after another incident on the subsequent restart.
Mayer didn’t have much luck keeping people happy Saturday. Chandler Smith finished 15th and then stormed over to Sam Mayer after parking his car on pit road.
Jesse Love finished 22nd after leading twice for seven laps in stage two. Love finished so far back after getting an uncontrolled tire penalty under green.
STAGE ONE TOP-10 (LAP 20): Justin Allgaier, Cole Custer, Chandler Smith, William Byron, AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill, Riley Herbst, Ryan Sieg, Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer
STAGE TWO TOP-10 (LAP 40): Cole Custer, Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, Riley Herbst, Ryan Sieg, AJ Allmendinger, Sheldon Creed, Sammy Smith, Corey Heim, Justin Allgaier
Seven races remain in the regular season for the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Cole Custer holds the points lead by 51 over Justin Allgaier and 59 over Chandler Smith.
Around the cutline, here is what it looks like:
- Parker Kligerman +58 points above the cutline
- Sammy Smith +22
- Ryan Sieg -22 points below the cutline
- Brandon Jones – 76
- Anthony Alfredo -95
The next race for the Xfinity Series is the July 20 Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Coverage kicks off at around 3:30 p.m. ET on USA, IMS Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com