The monkey’s off Cole Custer‘s back.
Custer finally entered the win column for 2024 after claiming Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway.
The No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing driver passed Justin Allgaier with about 10 laps left and held onto the lead through two restarts en route to his first win of the season.
Custer came in leading the points standings, but a win ensures his place in the playoffs. It’s a pivotal moment for the defending Xfinity champion, adding playoff points and limiting the stress of winning for the remaining regular season races.
It also helps to show teams that he’s worthy of a return to the Cup Series. Custer has 14 wins in Xfinity, with half of them coming in 2019. He also has a series-best eight top fives and 15 top 10s this year; Austin Hill is the closest in top-10 finishes with 12.
Custer is a proven talent and has a win in Cup already at Kentucky Speedway. If he’s not the favorite for the Haas Factory Team entry next year, he should be.
Winners
It was the thrill of victory for Custer and the agony of a second-place finish for Allgaier. The JR Motorsports veteran was visibly disappointed with the result after the race, sharing his feelings with NBC Sports.
In doing so Allgaier showed himself to be a true racer – he wanted to take the win for his team. There’s nothing wrong with that. The driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet stayed classy afterward, congratulating Custer in his interview.
That’s no surprise. Should we expect anything but class from the veteran from Illinois?
I think some other drivers need to take some lessons from Allgaier in this regard. But I digress.
Looking ahead, Allgaier heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he won on the oval in 2018. The cars certainly run different from six years ago, but his talent hasn’t changed. Can he kiss the bricks again?
In third was the No. 17 of William Byron, who rebounded from a flat tire earlier in the race. Byron was able to battle Custer and Allgaier for first in the final laps. It’s good practice for the Hendrick Motorsports star to as he tries to get back on the right track in the Cup Series. Byron has four results of 15th or worse in the last six Cup races.
Another overcomer was AJ Allmendinger in sixth. The veteran’s No. 16 went sliding around on the apron after contact with Ryan Sieg around lap 50. No caution came out, leaving Allmendinger driving along on the other side of the 2.5-mile Tricky Triangle, away from the rest of the field.
Despite the setback, Allmendinger was able to salvage a finish in the top 10. It shows just how much determination the Californian has to be able to get good results after trials. He’s fifth in points and eighth in the playoff standings, 98 points to the good above the cut line. If he can continue to push through and get the points he needs to maintain his position in the playoffs, who knows just how far he might go when the postseason arrives.
Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Sheldon Creed and Taylor Gray finished fourth and fifth, respectively. The result was Gray’s second top five in eight races run this season.
Lastly, I’d like to shout out Anthony Alfredo, who was running in the top 10 in the latter part of the race. Though he wound up 14th at the end, Fast Pasta and the No. 5 Our Motorsports team turned heads with their strategy and pace.
Losers
Creed’s JGR teammate Chandler Smith didn’t have a result that he wanted and was also frustrated after the race. After finishing 15th, Smith walked over to Sam Mayer‘s No. 1 and spoke to the JR Motorsports regular while Mayer was still in his car.
“(Mayer) sat on my door in the Tunnel Turn three times, I about wrecked all three times,” Chandler said after the race.
I still am not sure what it was about, but I know someone else who definitely has a right to be upset with Mayer: Shane van Gisbergen.
SVG was running in the top 10 with less than 10 to go when he got bumped from behind by the No. 1. The contact got him out of shape, causing the Kiwi to slide and eventually spin around. He suffered another spin after that to set off the final four-lap restart before finishing 31st.
Mayer was apologetic to van Gisbergen for running into him. That doesn’t erase the poor finish, but at least both drivers have wins and are locked into the playoffs.
Another driver thankful to have a victory this season is Richard Childress Racing rookie Jesse Love. His No. 2 went from leading, to pitting under the green flag, to having to serve a pass-through penalty for an uncontrolled tire. Woof.
The mistake cost Love all those positions, and he ran in the 30s for much of the remaining laps until the final restart. He was able to get back up to 22nd in the closing stretch, but obviously it wasn’t where he likely deserved to finish.
Like I’ve said before, though, when Love earns his next win, it will be all that sweeter after the difficulties he’s endured previously.
Playoff Pit
With Custer now locked into the playoffs, there are just five spots up for grabs with seven races remaining in the regular season.
Allmendinger sits eighth in the playoff standings, with Riley Herbst in ninth, 94 points above the cut line. Creed is 77 points to the good, while Parker Kligerman is +58.
Sammy Smith is holding onto the final playoff spot, with a 22-point cushion over Sieg for the position. But neither driver should feel safe – anything can change within the next seven races.
Paint Scheme of the Week
The Xfinity Series brought out some beautiful designs this week, including Patrick Emerling‘s No. 07 Camelback Resort car, Jeb Burton‘s military green Puryear Tank Lines No. 27 and van Gisbergen’s No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet.
But Allgaier’s Carolina Carports No. 7 was one of the best. It featuring a red chrome number, a cardinal behind the front tire and silver streaks. JR Motorsports knocked it out of the park once again.
The colors work well together, and every detail is so precise. Also, I love birds, so I had to choose the car with one of my favorite animals on it.
Fuel for Thought
Is the Championship 4 starting to take shape?
Yes, I know it’s too early to tell. But let’s have some fun with this.
The class of the field Saturday was Custer and Allgaier, but Hill also ran within the front five at times, despite having damage early on.
Let’s just say those three make the Championship 4. Who would be the fourth contender?
Could it be Chandler Smith, who won at Phoenix Raceway and Richmond Raceway earlier this year?
What about Love? Yes, he’s a rookie, but he’s learned a lot about driving in the Xfinity Series. The RCR star already has a win, he has a fast car and a good team (as long as they don’t make mistakes on pit road). Love could join the other veterans in the title bout.
Creed is tied for the most top fives on the season and his JGR team is also very good. Will he be in the Championship 4 with his former RCR teammate Hill?
My pick is SVG. Van Gisbergen has been improving on the ovals, and he already has three road course wins. He’s a favorite to win at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, so if he’s able to get enough points to move through the rounds, I see no reason why the No. 97 can’t make the Championship 4.
Where to Next
For the first time since 2019, Xfinity drivers will tackle the oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the final race before the Olympic break. Kyle Busch won that 2019 race from the pole after leading 46 laps.
The Pennzoil 250 runs Saturday, July 20 at 3:30 p.m. ET and airs on USA Network.
Joy joined Frontstretch in 2019 as a NASCAR DraftKings writer, expanding to news and iRacing coverage in 2020. She's currently an assistant editor and involved with photos, social media and news editing. A California native, Joy was raised watching motorsports and started watching NASCAR extensively in 2001. She earned her B.A. degree in Liberal Studies at California State University Bakersfield in 2010.