Event: Gander RV 400(Round 11 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Dover (Del.) International Speedway (1-mile, concrete oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (120 laps/120 laps/260 laps
Start/Finish: 10th/9th (Running, completed 400 of 400 laps)
Point standings: 10th (319 points, 141 out of first)

Race Winner:      Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota
Stage 1 Winner:  Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner:  Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-120):

● Started 10th, finished 10th. Earned one bonus point.
● Bowyer grabbed ninth right at the start and held that spot through the first caution on lap 42
● Despite running ninth, Bowyer said his No. 14 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang was “too tight up off (the corner).”
● Pitted under caution on lap 42 for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Picked up two spots on pit road to restart in seventh.
● Climbed to sixth place by lap 63 but said his car was “chattering” badly.
● Caution on lap 107 allowed Bowyer to pit for four tires, fuel and a right-rear wedge adjustment.
● Slotted in 12th for lap-110 restart and rallied to grab 10th just before the end of the stage.
● Stayed out at the conclusion of the stage to maintain track position.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 121-240):

● Started eighth, finished ninth. Earned two bonus points.
● Bowyer grabbed seventh on the restart.
● On lap140, Bowyer keyed his mic to say, “Tight on the throttle. Car won’t rotate.” Nevertheless, he remained a solid seventh.
● By lap 177, Bowyer had dropped to ninth. “I’m plowing!” he said.
● Under green on lap 182, Bowyer brought the No. 14 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang to the pits for a scheduled, four-tires-and-fuel stop.
● After pit stops cycled through, Bowyer returned to ninth and stayed there through the end of the stage.
● Pitted for four tires and fuel with track bar and tire pressure adjustments at the conclusion of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 241-400):

● Started ninth, finished ninth.
● Dropped to 10th on lap-249 restart. “Plowing!” is all Bowyer needed to say on lap 253.
● Caution on lap 266 sent some drivers to pit road. Bowyer stayed out and reclaimed ninth.
● Fell to 12th on lap-269 restart, but climbed back to 10th on the following lap.
● Passed 11-time Dover race winner Jimmie Johnson on lap 312 to retake ninth.
● Made scheduled, green-flag pit stop on lap 321 for four tires and fuel. Maintained ninth place after pit stops cycled through.
● Grabbed eighth place from William Byron with less than 50 laps to, but Byron earned the spot back on lap 377.
● Maintained ninth place for the final 23 laps.

Notes:

●  Bowyer earned his sixth top-10 of the season and his 15th top-10 in 27 career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover.
●  This is Bowyer’s third top-10 at Dover since joining SHR in 2017.
●  Martin Truex Jr. won the Gander RV 400 to score his 21st career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Dover. His margin of victory over second-place Alex Bowman was a commanding 9.501 seconds.
●  There were six caution periods for a total of 31 laps.
●  Only 11 of the 37 drivers in the Gander RV 400 finished on the lead lap.
●  Kyle Busch remains the championship leader after Dover with a five-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano.

Clint Bowyer, Driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Ford Mustang:

“It was kind of a frustrating day. We were OK. I think anyone who got in the top-five was going to stay there. We lost track position on the first pit stop and never really regained any of it. It was just really tough to pass today.”

Date: May 4, 2019
Race Name: Allied Steel Buildings 200 (Race 10 of 33)
Venue: Dover (Del.) International Speedway
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Race Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Results:  Chase Briscoe: 5th
Point Standings:
– Chase Briscoe: 6th with 335 points; trails points leader by 127 points

Chase Briscoe / Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang Recap:
– Briscoe started seventh and finished seventh in Stage 1 to earn four stage points.
– The Nutri Chomps Ford started Stage 2 in eighth and finished seventh, earning Briscoe an additional four stage points.
– The No. 98 Ford started ninth in the final stage after pitting for four tires and fuel. He was shuffled back to 13th on the restart, but was able to advance back up to 11th.
– A caution with 47 laps to go allowed the team to pit for fresh tires and restart in 10th. The No. 98 raced up to the sixth position before another caution flew with 28 laps to go.
– Briscoe gained three positions on the restart and was running third when another caution came out with 19 laps remaining.
– The No. 98 ford would ultimately come home in the fifth position.
– Briscoe scored his eighth consecutive top-10 of the 2019 season. 

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 98 Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang:                                                    
“It seems like every race we have one really bad run before we are able to tune on it and get better. We were just really lucky and fortunate to have some good restarts there at the end to get “

Date: May 4, 2019
Race Name: Allied Steel Buildings 200 (Race 10 of 33)
Venue: Dover (Del.) International Speedway
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Race Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Results: Cole Custer: 4th
Point Standings:
– Cole Custer: 3rd with 391 points; trails points leader by 71 points

Cole Custer / Haas Automation Ford Mustang Recap:
– Custer started first, led every lap of Stage 1 and picked up 10 stage points plus one playoff point by winning the stage.
– The No. 00 Ford started first and led every lap of Stage 2 en route to the stage win. He would pick up 10 more stage points and one playoff point.
– Custer started first in the final stage before a yellow would come out with 47 laps remaining.
– The No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang would pit and restart second.
– Custer fell back to third before another yellow with less than 30 laps remaining.
– The No. 00 did not pit and would restart third. Custer dropped to sixth before driving back to a fourth place finish.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang:
“We had a really good car all day and we showed it by leading 155 laps. Track position is key here and we lost that with less than 50 laps remaining and restarting on the bottom is the worst here. Once we got stuck down there, it’s almost impossible to pass here so we couldn’t really do much after that.”

Cole Custer Finishes Fourth at Iowa

Haas Automation Driver Earns Fourth Straight Top-Five

Date:                     June 17, 2018
Event:                   Iowa 250 Presented by Enogen (Round 14 of 33)
Series:                  NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location:            Iowa Speedway in Newton (.875-mile oval)
Format:                250 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/60 laps/130 laps)
Start/Finish:      5^th/4^th(Running, completed 250 of 250 laps)
Point Standing:2^ndwith 500 points (Four points behind leader Elliott Sadler)

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

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-60):

• Custer started fifth, finished fifth and earned six bonus points.
• Custer noted tight-handling conditions at the beginning of Stage 1 and fell outside of the top-10.
• He piloted the Haas Automation Ford back to fifth place before the stage concluded.
• Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments. He gained two spots on pit road at the end of the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 61-120):

• Custer started third, finished fourth and earned six bonus points.
• Custer battled in the third position for the majority of Stage 2.
• He raced hard for second place, but said his Haas Automation Ford needed adjustments to turn better in the center of the turns.
• He pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments. He gained three spots on pit road to take the lead.

 Final Stage Recap (Laps 121-250):

• Custer started first, finished fourth.
• Custer led the first six laps in the final stage.
• During a lap-199 caution, Custer pitted for four tires and fuel to regain the lead.
• A final caution was brought out on lap 232. Custer did not pit and restarted from the third position.
• He held the Haas Automation Ford inside the top-five before the checkered flag waved.

Notes:              

• This marks Custer’s second Xfinity Series top-10 at Iowa and 11^thtop-10 of the season.
• This marks Custer’s second Xfinity Series top-five at Iowa and fifth top-five of the season.
• Custer earned 12bonus points in the Iowa 250.
• Custer led a total of six laps.
• Five cautions slowed the race for 31laps.
• Only 18of the 40drivers finished on the lead lap.
• No Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers were entered in the Iowa 250.
• Justin Allgaier won the Iowa 250 to score his seventh career Xfinity Series victory, second of the season and first at Iowa. His margin of victory over second-place Christopher Bell was .745 of a second.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation  Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing With Biagi-DenBeste:     

“We had a good day, but just couldn’t keep the Haas Automation Ford up front. I’m so proud of the consistency we are bringing to the track every weekend. I was really hoping we could put it in Victory Lane on Father’s Day, but we’ll move on to Chicagoland and see if we can make it up.”

Next Up:          

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Overton’s 300 on Saturday, June 30 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, I. The race starts at 3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN.

Cole Custer Finishes 13^th 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: 36^th/13^th(Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Point Standing: 6^thwith 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 36^th, finished 11^th.
• 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 11^thplace.
• Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments at the conclusion of Stage 1.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 46-90):

• Custer started 12^th, finished 17^th.
• 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 21^st.
• 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 13^th.
• Custer sustained damage to his left-rear quarter panel on lap 101 after contact with another competitor, pushing him back to 14^th.
• He pitted during a lap-130 caution for four tires, fuel and adjustments to correct tight-handling conditions.
• Custer restarted 10^th 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 13^thposition 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.”

Cole Custer Finishes Sixth at Richmond

Code 3 Associates Driver Scores Second Straight Pole; Earns Sixth Straight Top-10

Date: April 20, 2018
Event: Richmond 250 (Round 8 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway (.75-mile oval)
Format: 250 laps, broken into three stages (75 laps/75 laps/100 laps)
Start/Finish: 1^st/6^th(Running, completed 250 of 250 laps)
Point Standing: 6^thwith 263 points

Race Winner:    Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Daniel Hemric of Richard Childress Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 2 Winner: Elliott Sadler of JR Motorsports (Chevrolet)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-75):

• Custer started first, finished third and earned eight bonus points.
• Custer held the Code 3 Associates Ford in the lead for the first 43 laps of Stage 1.
• After a lap-64 caution, Custer restarted fourth and moved up to third before the stage ended.
• He pitted for four tires and fuel at the conclusion of the stage.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 76-150):

• Custer started eighth, finished fifth and earned six bonus points.
• Five cars pitted before the conclusion of Stage 1, putting Custer in the eighth position.
• Custer was caught in traffic on the restart and noted loose-handling conditions when he got back to the gas.
• Custer took four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments at the conclusion of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 151-250):

• Custer started eighth, finished sixth.
• During the pit stop at the end of Stage 2, the No. 00 team received a penalty for an uncontrolled tire and forced Custer to the rear of the field.
• Following a lap-164 caution, Custer powered his way back into the top-10 in less than 10 laps.
• Custer continued to wheel the Code 3 Associates Ford through the field and fought his way up to sixth when the race concluded.

Notes:              

• Custer earned his and Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste’s second straight pole.
• This marks Custer’s second Xfinity Series top-10 at Richmond and sixth straight top-10 of the season.
• Custer earned14 bonus points in the Richmond 250.
• Custer led once for a total of 43 laps.
• Five cautions slowed the race for 49 laps.
• Only 15 of the 40 drivers finished on the lead lap.
• No NASCAR Cup Series drivers were entered in the Richmond 250.
• Christopher Bell won the Richmond 250 to score his second career Xfinity Series victory, first of the season and first at Richmond. His margin of victory over second-place Noah Gragson was .423 seconds.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Code 3 Associates Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing With Biagi-DenBeste:     

“We had such a fast car. At the start of the race we were really good and then the middle stage we were a little bit off, and then we made the Code 3 Associates Ford pretty good there at the end, but we got that penalty, which I guess was a little bit of a close call. We’ll look at it but it’s just frustrating because I think we had a really good car, but it is what it is. I’ve got to thank everybody at Code 3 and hopefully come back better next time.”

Chase Briscoe 23rd at Bristol

Endures Early Accident, Leads 10 Laps In SHR Xfinity Debut

Date: April 14, 2018
Event: Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 (Round 7 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Format: 300 laps, broken into three stages (85 laps/85 laps/130 laps)
Start/Finish: 22nd/23rd (Running, completed 295 of 300 laps)

Race Winner: Ryan Preece of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Preece of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-85):

• Chase Briscoe started 22nd and finished 21st.
• No. 98 suffered significant left front and right-side damage in an accident on lap six.
• Briscoe pitted twice under caution to make repairs dropping to 39th.
• He drove to 18th before the lap-45 competition caution.
• Briscoe drove several laps with a dash panel blocking most of his view through the windshield. He later told the crew, “That was full on Ricky Bobby” referring to the NASCAR movie “Talladega Nights.”

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170):

• Briscoe started 24th, finished 10th.
• No. 98 crew continued to make repairs during the break between Stages 1 and 2.
• Briscoe dodged several accidents and climbed to 15th by lap 105.
• Moved into 10th on the final lap of the stage.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 171-300):

• Briscoe started first and finished 23rd.
• Did not pit during the stage break and started the final stage in first.
• Led 10 laps – the first Xfinity Series laps led of his career.
• Spun after contact with Daniel Hemric on lap 185. Pitted for repairs and dropped to 21st.
• Damage was too great to maintain previous speed and lost laps to the leader on lap 217 and 238.● A cut tire on lap 258 dropped him five laps behind the leader.

Notes:                   

• Saturday’s race marked Briscoe’s third career NASCAR Xfinity Series start and first at Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste (SHR). He’ll run four more races with SHR in 2018.
• Briscoe earned a stage point by finishing 10th in the second stage.
• Twelve cautions slowed the race for 93 laps with only 12 of the 40 drivers finishing on the lead lap.
• Ryan Preece won the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 to score his second career Xfinity Series victory. It was his first in 2018 and first at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Justin Allgaier was .856 seconds.

Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 98 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing With Biagi-DenBeste:         

“We got that damage on whatever lap it was and after that we were just biding our time and trying to make the best of the day. I felt like we honestly weren’t bad. I’m really proud of all the guys. They kept fighting all day long. They could have easily given up, but they continued to fight, so, overall I’m happy.”

Next Up:               

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Richmond 250 on Friday, April 20 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The No. 98’s next race is the Sparks Energy 300 on Saturday April 28 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway with Briscoe behind the wheel.

Cole Custer Finishes eighth at Bristol

Haas Automation Driver Earns Fifth Straight Top-10

Date: April 14, 2018
Event: Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 (Round 7 of 33)
Series:  NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway (.533-mile oval)
Format: 300 laps, broken into three stages (85 laps/85 laps/130 laps)
Start/Finish: 1st/8th (Running, completed 300 of 300 laps)
Point Standing: 6th with 218 points

 Race Winner: Ryan Preece of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Preece of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-85):

• Cole Custer started first, finished third. He earned eight bonus points.
• Custer piloted the Haas Automation Ford inside the top-three for the duration of the stage.
• He noted tight-handling conditions through the center and off of the turns.
• At the conclusion of the stage, Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and chassis adjustments. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 86-170):

• Custer started sixth, finished 13th.
• Custer dropped to 22nd before the start of the stage because of a pit lane speeding penalty during the stage break.
• Custer powered his way back to the sixth position before an accident on lap-141 that brought out the red flag.
• When the green flag waved, Custer appeared to secure a third-place finish until contact with Elliot Sadler dropped him to 13th.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 171-300):

• Custer started 12^th, finished eighth.
• Battled inside the top-five before reporting tight-handling conditions around lap 245.
• On lap 278, Custer made contact with the outside wall forcing the No. 00 Ford one lap down.
• After the final caution, crew chief Jeff Meendering made the call to stay out of the pits to allow Custer to regain the lead lap and finish inside the top-10.

Notes:              

• Custer earned his and Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste’s first Xfinity Series career pole.
• Custer was the third of four Dash 4 Cash drivers to cross the finish line.
• This was Custer’s third Xfinity Series race at Bristol.
• Twelve cautions slowed the race for 93 laps.
• This marks Custer’s second top-10 at Bristol and fifth top-10 of the season.
• Only 12 of the 40 drivers finished on the lead lap.
• Ryan Preece won the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 to score his second career Xfinity Series victory, first of the season and first at Bristol. His margin of victory over second-place Justin Allgaier was .856 seconds.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing With Biagi-DenBeste:     

“We were pretty fast at the start and I made a mistake speeding on pit road that put us behind. We worked hard and I thought we had a better shot at it, but we’ll move on to Richmond. The Haas Automation Ford ran well enough to give us our fifth straight top-10, so we’ll keep the momentum going.”

Harvick Finishes 19^th at Texas

Hunt Brothers Pizza Driver’s Strong Effort Derailed By Loose Wheels

Date: April 7, 2018
Event: My Bariatric Solutions 300 at Texas (Round 6 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish: 40th/19th (Running, completed 198 of 200 laps)

Race Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Brandon Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-45):

• Started 40th, finished eighth.
• The No. 98 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang started at the rear of the field due to an issue in pre-qualifying inspection.
• Harvick raced the Hunt Brother Pizza Ford into the top-10 on lap 35.
• Harvick brought the Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford to pit road for four tires, fuel and a minor chassis adjustment at the conclusion of the stage. 

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 46-90):       

• Started 14th, finished 19th.
• Harvick and the Hunt Brothers Pizza team joined the top-five for the first time on lap 68.
• The No. 98 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford came to pit road under caution while racing in the fourth position on lap 84 for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, but came out in 20^th after several cars opted to stay out and the No. 98 team had an issue on pit road.
• The team gained one position in the final one-lap dash to the end of the stage. 

Final Stage Recap (Laps 91-200):

• Started ninth, finished 19th.
• Harvick fell bac k to the 15^th position on the restart, but battled his way into the top-10 by lap 125.
• He raced his way back up to the eighth position before pitting under green on lap 138 for four tires and fuel. The stop dropped the No. 98 to 23^rd and one lap down to the leaders.
• Harvick raced his way into the top-10 on lap 148, back to the lead lap by lap 150 and up to the sixth position by lap 152.
• The team made an unscheduled pit stop under green from the sixth position to address a loose wheel and returned to the track in the 19th position, two laps down to the leaders.

Notes:              

• Ryan Blaney won the My Bariatric Solutions 300 at Texas by 2.327 seconds over runner-up Christopher Bell.
• Only 10 of the 40 cars entered into the race finished on the lead lap.
• The race featured eight cautions for a total of 42 laps.
• Harvick’s SHR teammate Cole Custer finished fourth and qualified for the Dash 4 Cash at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
• This was Harvick’s second NASCAR Xfinity Series start of the year for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste.
• Harvick’s next appearance in the No. 98 Ford Mustang is schedule for Michigan International Speedway on June 9.
• Chase Briscoe makes his Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste debut in the No. 98 Ford next week at Bristol.

 Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 98 Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste: 

“We had a fast Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford Mustang all day. We drove from the back of the field up to third at one point and we should’ve put ourselves in position to compete for the win at the end. Unfortunately, we suffered a couple loose wheels that took us out of contention and caused us to fall two laps down. That’s hard to recover from, but I’m proud of the guys for brining another fast car to the racetrack.”

Event: My Bariatric Solutions 300 (Round 6 of 33)
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Location: Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth (1.5-mile oval)
Format: 200 laps, broken into three stages (45 laps/45 laps/110 laps)
Start/Finish: 10^th/4^th (Running, completed 200 of 200 laps)
Point Standing: 6^th with 181 points

Race Winner:    Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Brandon Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)

Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-45):

• Cole Custer started 10^th, finished seventh. Earned four bonus points.
• Custer piloted the Thompson Pipe Group Ford inside the top-10 for the majority of the stage.
• He noted tight-handling conditions throughout the stage.
• Custer pitted at the conclusion of the stage for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. He gained five positions on pit road.

Stage 2 Recap (Laps 46-90):

• Custer started second, finished 14^th.
• Custer maintained his car inside the top-four until he was caught behind a loose-handling car on a lap-74 restart.
• During a lap-84 caution, Custer pitted for four tires and fuel along with the majority of the cars in the top-10. He restarted 17^th.

Final Stage Recap (Laps 91-200):

• Custer started fourth, finished fourth.
• He continued to run inside the top-five, but noted tight-handling conditions during the first half of the stage.
• Crew chief Jeff Meendering radioed Custer to the pits on lap 142 for four tires and fuel. He was in the third position.
• After green-flag pit stops cycled through, Custer was scored in fourth place.
• Custer battled the Thompson Pipe Group Ford Mustang in the top-five for the remainder of the race and qualified for the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus at Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend.

Notes:              

• This marks Custer’s third top-five at Texas, first top-five of the season and fourth straight top-10 of the season.
• This was Custer’s third straight top-five at Texas.
• This was Custer’s best Xfinity Series finish at Texas.
• Custer earned four bonus points in the My Bariatric Solutions 300.
• Only 10 of the 40 cars entered into the race finished on the lead lap.
• The race featured eight cautions for a total of 42 laps.
• Ryan Blaney won the My Bariatric Solutions 300 to score his seventh career Xfinity Series victory, first of the season and first at Texas. His margin of victory over second-place Christopher Bell was 2.327 seconds.

Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Thompson Pipe Group Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing With Biagi-DenBeste:          

“I was happy with our day. We were definitely a top-three car today. Our Thompson Pipe Group Mustang just ran solid all day. It is pretty amazing to be able to compete in the Dash 4 Cash prize at Bristol and it’s a really awesome thing that Xfinity does for the series. You get to race hard and race for a lot of money. We are going to get after it. We have been good there in the past and I’m looking forward to going there and try to win $100,000 for our team. That would be pretty awesome.”

Next Up:          

The next event on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is the Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 on Saturday, April 14 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 1 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by FS1.