Cole Custer wins at Bristol, clinches Xfinity Series regular season championship
By just three points, Cole Custer wins the regular season championship. He went out and won the race, making sure he won the championship, too. That means Custer is in a great position to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series title for the second year in a row.
Cole Custer is moving up to the Cup Series once again. Before he does, he is planning on going out with another big trophy at Phoenix. The 15 bonus playoff points will come in handy in that quest.
Bristol is special. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in this race. The lights bring out the best in this Xfinity field.
To close out the regular season and win the Bristol Night Race is special. Is Custer on his way to another Xfinity championship?
Cole Custer actually caused the first caution of the night. He had a flat right rear tire and got up into the wall. It was a quick caution but one that was needed as Custer had problems handling the car with an entire field speeding around him.
Despite the early issues, Custer drove back up through the field with relative ease. He had a great car and knows his way around Bristol well. Once he got into clean air, it was hard for anyone to get near him to make a pass. A lack of cautions and restarts, outside of a few minor spins and wrecks, meant Custer was more or less unbothered.
When it became a long green flag run to end the race, it was clear that Custer was going to win barring a serious issue on his car or in lapped traffic. But he kept it straight and won the race, the regular season championship, and has positioned himself to win his second straight Xfinity Series title as well.
Cole Custer comes on strong late in regular season
This has been a really strong season overall for Cole Custer. However, after the Olympic break, things weren’t so great. In the five races before Bristol, Custer had three DNFs, a P21 finish, and a P2.
Tonight, there isn’t much else you can say. Custer was dominant. He had the best car on the track and proved it with his driving.
The Round of 12 is now locked in. The final playoff spots were filled. Sammy Smith was the final driver in the playoffs. Going to Kansas, Sheldon Creed, AJ Allmendinger, Sammy Smith, and Parker Kligerman are all below the cutline.
Despite winning the regular season title and those 15 bonus points, Cole Custer does not lead the playoff standings. Justin Allgaier leads the standings +27 on the cutline with Custer six points behind him. Anything can happen. Who is your pick for the championship?