HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Cole Custer qualified on the pole position and stomped the competition to lead a race-high 114 of 200 laps. But his day ended up outside of Victory Lane at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Custer’s No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford leaned against the outside SAFER barrier in Turns 3 and 4 with 50 laps to go in the penultimate race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Round of 8, cutting a right-front tire, sending him to pit road and derailing an otherwise magnificent day for the veteran racer.
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“Just got in too deep I guess,” Custer said. “You know, had a big lead and I didn’t feel like I was pushing it, but just carried a little too much speed. I think I got by a couple of lappers and just missed it a little bit. I think that was the only time I hit the wall all day. So it’s just sucks. I mean I’m so frustrated. The guys brought me such a fast car. I mean, I think we definitely had the dominant car today.”
The damage sent Custer to pit road and resulted in numerous lost laps — worsened by a pit-road penalty for too many men over the wall. Custer ultimately finished 13th, the first car one lap down.
Failing to execute the win left a sting for Custer, but he tried to find the bright side: Teammate Riley Herbst crushed the field to win last week’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by over 15 seconds and nearly caught Sam Mayer for the victory Saturday at Homestead. Custer came with similar, if not better, speed and credited crew chief Jonathan Toney for the inroads the No. 00 team has made specifically.
“JT and all the guys, it’s just a testament to what they’re doing,” Custer said. “And I think we can go to Martinsville and really have a good shot at it. And even with all that happened, I think we’re still in the good, so just gotta move on to the next one. But I’m definitely disappointed in myself today. Just hate that that happened.”
Custer is above the provisional elimination line heading to the 0.526-mile short track Martinsville Speedway, the final race to secure a spot in this year’s Championship 4. Because of his Saturday win, Mayer is the only driver currently locked in. Custer sits tied with Austin Hill for the final spot in the bracket for now, both only three points above Justin Allgaier.
Further behind Allgaier is a steep cliff — Sammy Smith sits 49 points beneath the line, with Chandler Smith out by 54 markers and Sheldon Creed by 65.
“I think we’re in a solid spot,” Custer said. “Martinsville was a good track for us in the spring, so I’m looking forward to it. I think we should have a great shot at advancing. But in the playoffs, you never know what to expect. But overall, we’ve just got to move on from today and go onto next week.”