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COLE CUSTER – 2018 Dover Race Report

Cole Custer Finishes 13th at Dover

Haas Automation Driver Battles In and Around Top-10

Date: May 5, 2018
Event: OneMain Financial 200 (Round 10 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile, concrete oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish: 36th/13th(Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Point Standing: 6thwith 323 points

Race Winner: Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner:  Elliott Sadler of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner:  Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-45):

  • Custer started 36th, finished 11th.
  • Custer piloted the Haas AutomationFord 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 11thplace.
  • 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 13thposition before the race concluded.

Notes:                   

  • This was Custer’s third NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Dover.
  • Eight cautions slowed the race for 45laps.
  • Only 23of the 40drivers 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 .306of 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.”