Cole Custer battles with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Chandler Smith (Photo: Kevin Ritchie | The Podium Finish)
Bristol, Tenn. – After a frustrating regular season, Cole Custer showed the pace many expected he would have coming into the season.
Driving a black Mobil 1 Ford inspired by Kevin Harvick, Custer was steady and fast all night long, leading 109 laps and coming home in fourth place in the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway..
Custer’s Friday started off by being the second fastest in practice and grabbing his fifth pole of the year.
Custer took advantage of the dominant bottom line early on to score the stage win, before finishing second to eventual race winner, Justin Allgaier, in the second stage.
After a relatively clean first two stages, the final stage was slowed by three cautions. Amidst pit strategies and the top line becoming, Custer was not able to get back to the top two, ultimately settling in fourth.
“Proud of this group,” Custer said on X. “They put in a lot of hours this week getting ready for the playoffs and brought a bullet! Just a little short at the end, but put us in a great spot in points one race in.”
It was a strong playoff opener for the 25-year old, who scored the second-most points and led over 100 laps for the first time since his win at Chicagoland Speedway in 2019.
With two races left in the opening round, Custer sits third in points, 39 points ahead of Jeb Burton to transfer.
Custer came into the playoffs as the fourth seed with 17 playoff points. He heads to two track types that have been historically good for him.
While the No. 00 team looks to be in good shape for the next round, scoring extra playoff points could be crucial in advancing to Phoenix.
