Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-45):
● Custer started 36th, finished 11th.
● Custer piloted the Haas Automation Ford inside the top-15 before a lap-30 caution.
● He battled inside the top-10 during the closing laps, but noted tight-handling conditions and fell to 11th place.
● Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments at the conclusion of Stage 1.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 46-90):
● Custer started 12th, finished 17th.
● Custer was caught in traffic during the restart and fought in and around the top-10 for the majority of the stage.
● During a lap-79 caution, Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments to restart 21st.
● Custer preserved the tires of his Haas Automation Mustang and did not pit after Stage 2 concluded.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 91-200):
● Custer started fifth, finished 13th.
● Custer sustained damage to his left-rear quarter panel on lap 101 after contact with another competitor, pushing him back to 14th.
● He pitted during a lap-130 caution for four tires, fuel and adjustments to correct tight-handling conditions.
● Custer restarted 10th and raced from the ninth position until he was caught in traffic and forced outside of the top-10.
● He drove his Haas Automation Ford to the 13th position before the race concluded.
Notes:
● This was Custer’s third NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Dover.
● Eight cautions slowed the race for 45 laps.
● Only 23 of the 40 drivers finished on the lead lap.
● No NASCAR Cup Series drivers were entered in the OneMain Financial 200.
● Justin Allgaier won the OneMain 200 to score his sixth career Xfinity Series victory, his first of the season and first at Dover. His margin of victory over second-place Elliott Sadler was .306 of a second.
Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing With Biagi-DenBeste:
“It was the most frustrating day ever. We had a pretty fast car. We had no track position all day and no restarts went our way. That’s just part of it. We’ll move on to the next one. I think we were really fast today and our Haas Automation team was on top of it. It’s just frustrating when you’re caught in bad situations so much.”
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Alsco 300 on Saturday, May 26 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1
TSC PR/Photo Jerry Markland/Getty Images
