{"id":47258,"date":"2024-07-13T17:56:58","date_gmt":"2024-07-13T22:56:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=47258"},"modified":"2024-07-14T12:06:46","modified_gmt":"2024-07-14T17:06:46","slug":"cole-custer-earns-his-first-win-of-the-2024-season-at-pocono-raceway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/13\/cole-custer-earns-his-first-win-of-the-2024-season-at-pocono-raceway\/","title":{"rendered":"Cole Custer earns his first win of the 2024 season at Pocono Raceway"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Cole Custer, driver of the #00 Haas Automation Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Explore The Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono Raceway on July 13, 2024 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/b><\/p>\n

Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer claimed his first win of the 2024 season Saturday beating his closest championship challenger Justin Allgaier to the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 checkered flag and giving Ford its first series win of the year.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Cole Custer, driver of the #00 Haas Automation Ford, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series Explore The Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono Raceway on July 13, 2024 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Custer\u2019s No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang took the lead from Allgaier on a re-start with nine laps remaining and then held off the JR Motorsports Chevy by .670-second to secure his 14th<\/sup> career victory in a thrilling finish at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. He becomes first driver to win multiple NASCAR Xfinity Series races at the historic 2.5-mile track \u2013 answering his 2019 win.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just try to manage it the best you can but it\u2019s kind of the luck of the draw who gets the best push,\u2019\u2019 a smiling Custer said of having to hold off perennial championship contender Allgaier and third place finisher NASCAR Cup Series regular William Byron in the closing laps.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Cole Custer, driver of the #00 Haas Automation Ford, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Explore The Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono Raceway on July 13, 2024 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThat was some Doug Yates horsepower right there. We definitely had it on the straightaways and man, I just can\u2019t say enough about these guys. They\u2019ve worked so hard this whole year and just haven\u2019t had that final result. To finally get it, is so awesome.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Allgaier led a race best 30 laps of the 90-lap race with the 25-year old Californian Custer out front for 25 laps \u2013 the two drivers each winning a stage. For Allgaier, his Stage 1 victory was a series best 11th<\/sup> but a pit road penalty during the ensuing pit stop forced him to work his way back up through the field.<\/p>\n

And even with all the impressive race statistics and compelling comeback storyline Saturday, it was missing out on the trophy after such a strong showing that stuck with Allgaier when he climbed out of his Chevrolet.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Cole Custer, driver of the #00 Haas Automation Ford, drives during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Explore The Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono Raceway on July 13, 2024 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cReally proud of everyone at Junior Motorsports, just really stinks to come out of here second,\u2019\u2019 Allgaier said. \u201cLed so many laps here and feel like same result every time, just not able to go to Victory Lane. \u2026 just came up a little short and it\u2019s going to sting for a little while.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Daytona 500 winner and the 2017 Xfinity Series champion Byron was making his third Xfinity Series start of the season and kept the field honest leading 17 laps.  <\/p>\n

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Sheldon Creed and Taylor Gray rounded out the Pocono top-five. Kaulig Racing\u2019s A.J. Allmendinger, Richard Childress Racing\u2019s Austin Hill, Big Machine Racing\u2019s Parker Kligerman and JR Motorsports teammates Sammy Smith and Sam Mayer rounded out the top-10.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Corey Heim, driver of the #26 Lehigh Valley Phantoms Toyota, and Parker Kligerman, driver of the #48 Spiked Lite Tropical Coolers Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Explore The Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono Raceway on July 13, 2024 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Custer extended his lead atop the Xfinity Series championship and now holds a 51-point advantage on Allgaier. With seven races remaining to set the 12-driver Playoff field, Smith holds a 23-point edge over Ryan Sieg for that 12th<\/sup> position. <\/p>\n

The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to action Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Pennzoil 250 (3:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).  Ty Gibbs won the race last year on the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit. Kyle Busch won the last NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the famed 2.5-mile oval in 2019.<\/p>\n

Interview:<\/h3>\n

NXS Race Winner – Cole Custer (No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford) –<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Explore The Pocono Mountains 225<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pocono Raceway<\/strong><\/p>\n

Long Pond, Pennsylvania<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saturday, July 13, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

                1. (8)  Cole Custer, Ford, 90.<\/p>\n

                2. (3)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                3. (6)  William Byron(i), Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                4. (1)  Sheldon Creed, Toyota, 90.<\/p>\n

                5. (4)  Taylor Gray(i), Toyota, 90.<\/p>\n

                6. (10)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                7. (11)  Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                8. (15)  Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                9. (9)  Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                10. (12)  Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                11. (18)  Riley Herbst, Ford, 90.<\/p>\n

                12. (7)  Ryan Sieg, Ford, 90.<\/p>\n

                13. (2)  Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                14. (16)  Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                15. (5)  Chandler Smith, Toyota, 90.<\/p>\n

                16. (25)  Corey Heim(i), Toyota, 90.<\/p>\n

                17. (20)  Daniel Dye(i), Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                18. (22)  Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                19. (34)  Ryan Truex, Toyota, 90.<\/p>\n

                20. (33)  Kyle Sieg, Ford, 90.<\/p>\n

                21. (17)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                22. (19)  Jesse Love #, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                23. (21)  Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                24. (23)  Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 90.<\/p>\n

                25. (28)  Leland Honeyman #, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                26. (27)  Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                27. (14)  Josh Berry(i), Ford, 90.<\/p>\n

                28. (37)  Thomas Annunziata, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                29. (31)  Mason Massey(i), Ford, 90.<\/p>\n

                30. (24)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                31. (26)  Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 90.<\/p>\n

                32. (13)  Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 89.<\/p>\n

                33. (32)  Patrick Emerling, Chevrolet, 89.<\/p>\n

                34. (35)  Blaine Perkins, Ford, Suspension, 72.<\/p>\n

                35. (38)  Stephen Mallozzi(i), Chevrolet, Engine, 68.<\/p>\n

                36. (30)  Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, Accident, 47.<\/p>\n

                37. (29)  Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, Electrical, 8.<\/p>\n

                38. (36)  Dawson Cram(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 1.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  105.113 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 8 Mins, 26 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.670 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  8 for 30 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  10 among 7 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   S. Creed 1-7;J. Allgaier 8-22;J. Love # 23-25;C. Custer 26-41;W. Byron(i) 42-50;J. Love # 51-54;W. Byron(i) 55-61;A. Hill 62;R. Sieg 63-66;J. Allgaier 67-81;C. Custer 82-90.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Justin Allgaier 2 times for 30 laps; Cole Custer 2 times for 25 laps; William Byron(i) 2 times for 16 laps; Sheldon Creed 1 time for 7 laps; Jesse Love # 2 times for 7 laps; Ryan Sieg 1 time for 4 laps; Austin Hill 1 time for 1 lap.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 7,00,81,17,16,21,98,39,8,18<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 00,81,21,98,39,16,18,8,26,7<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer claimed his first win of the 2024 season Saturday beating his closest championship challenger Justin Allgaier to the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 checkered flag and giving Ford its first series win of the year. Custer\u2019s No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":47239,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[257,16,181,252],"class_list":["post-47258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-cole-custer","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-xfinity-series","tag-pocono-raceway"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/GettyImages-2161919348-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1637&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-cie","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47258"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47260,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47258\/revisions\/47260"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}