Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-45):
● Cole Custer started seventh, finished 10th. Earned one bonus point.
● Custer piloted his Haas Automation/Code 3 Associates Ford Mustang to ninth place before noting loose handling conditions.
● Handling became tighter as the stage wore on, but Custer was able to stay inside the top-10 before the stage ended.
● At the conclusion of the stage, Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 46-90):
● Started 12th, finished seventh. Earned four bonus points.
● During a lap-77 caution, Custer pitted for four tires, fuel, air pressure and chassis adjustments.
● Restarted in the 16th position and powered his Haas Automation/Code 3 Associates Ford Mustang to another top-10 stage finish.
● Crew chief Jeff Meendering radioed Custer to the pits at the conclusion of the stage for two fresh tires and fuel.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 91-200):
● Started fourth, finished 19th.
● Custer ran as high as second on the initial restart, but fell to eighth as those with fresher tires proved quicker.
● Pitted under caution on lap 137 for four fresh tires, fuel and chassis adjustments. Restarted in seventh.
● Custer ran inside the top-10 until lap 195 when he was forced to the pits due to a cut tire.
● The Haas Automation/Code 3 Associates crew changed four tires under green and sent Custer back out to finish the race.
Notes:
● Custer has earned the most points at 1.5-mile tracks among NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers this season with 326 points.
● Custer earned a total of five combined stage points.
● The Kansas Lottery 300 was the first race of the second round of the playoffs. Two more races remain before the season finale Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
● This was Custer’s 35th XFINITY Series start and his third at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City.
● Four cautions slowed the race for 20 laps.
● Christopher Bell won the Kansas Lottery 300 to score his first career XFINITY Series victory. His margin of victory over second-place Tyler Reddick was 2.670 seconds.
Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation/Code 3 Associates Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“We had a solid Haas Automation/Code 3 Ford Mustang. We fought hard to keep it in the top-10 and earned good stage points. There was nothing we could do at the end of the race because we ran over something late that crippled the right front. It’s just how it goes. There was a big cut in the tire and we had to pit. We ran well at Texas, so I still think we have a good shot at making it into the final four.”
Playoff Standings:
1. Justin Allgaier (3,066 points) +33
2. William Byron (3,064 points -2) +31
3. Elliott Sadler (3,055 points, -11) +22
4. Brennan Poole (3,038 points, -28) +5
5. Matt Tifft (3,033 points, -33) -5
6. Ryan Reed (3,032 points, -34) -6
7. Daniel Hemric (3,032 points, -34) -6
8. Cole Custer (3,030 points, -36) -8
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule is the O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 on Saturday, Nov. 4 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The race starts at 2:30 p.m. ET with live coverage provided by NBCSN.
TSC PR/Photo Getty Images for NASCAR
