Custer Gets Ford's First Victory of the 2024 Xfinity Season at Pocono Raceway

AP Photo

LONG POND, PA -  RIS - Reigning Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer scored his first victory of the season, taking the checkered flag Saturday at Pocono Raceway.  At the end, Custer, Jason Allgaier, and William Bowman.  Bowman, though close behind the two faded and Custer took the advantage with six laps to go and went on to his first victory of 2024.

It was also the first win this year for Fore Performance.

Custer maintained the lead on a restart with four laps to go, despite some attempts by Allgaier to get past the No. 00 Stewart Haas Mustang. Allgaier took second, while Byron was third. Sheldon Creed and Taylor Gray rounded out the top five.

AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill, Parker Kligerman, Sammy Smith and Sam Mayer completed the top 10 in sixth through 10th, respectively.

The race went green through the end of stage one, with Allgaier cruising to the green-and-white checkered flag by over four seconds ahead of Custer and Chandler Smith.

Under the ensuing caution, Allgaier and the No. 7 had a problem on pit road, getting hit with a equipment interference penalty when one of their tires rolled into a neighboring pit box. As a result, Allgaier lost his track position and restarted in the back.

Stage two saw one caution on lap 28 for debris coming from a flat tire on Byron’s No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Custer took the stage two win, beating out Chandler Smith, Hill, Riley Herbst and Ryan Sieg. Allgaier and Byron bounced back to 10th and 12th from their respective issues.

The race went back green on lap 47, but it did not remain  that way long as a multi-car accident in turn 1 slowed the field back down. Alpha Prime Racing teammates Ryan Ellis and Brennan Poole were among those involved.

Under that caution, JR Motorsports teammates Allgaier, Sammy Smith and Brandon Jones made a call for pit for fuel and try and stretch it to the end.

On the lap 51 restart, Allmendinger nearly spun on the turn 1 apron but kept his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet pointed in the right direction, so the race stayed green.

After a round of green flag pit stops, Stephen Mallozzi stalled just off of turn two to bring the caution back out on lap 68. Under the yellow, Allgaier and Sammy Smith and Custer stayed out while many others pitted for tires and fuel.

Allgaier, who overcame a pit road penalty, finished second. William Byron, who overcame a flat tire in the second stage, finished third. Sheldon Creed was fourth. Taylor Gray completed the top five.

Custer’s 15-lap fresher tires took effect as he made what proved to be the race-winning pass on Allgaier just before the race’s final caution for Shane van Gisbergen spinning out following contact from Mayer. That set the stage for Custer to hold off the field during one final four-lap run to the checkered.

Unofficial Results: Explore The Pocono Mountains 225, July 13, 2024 - Pocono Raceway
Fin, Str, Driver, Car, Laps, St1, St2, Tms Led, Laps Led, Playoff Pts, Pts, Status
1) 8, Cole Custer, No. 00 Haas Automation Ford, 90, 2, 1, 2, 25, 6, 59, Running
2) 3, Justin Allgaier, No. 7 Carolina Carports Chevrolet, 90, 1, 10, 2, 30, 1, 46, Running
3) 6, William Byron(i), No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, 90, 4, , 2, 16, , 0, Running
4) 1, Sheldon Creed, No. 18 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota, 90, 10, 7, 1, 7, , 38, Running
5) 4, Taylor Gray(i), No. 19 Operation 300 Toyota, 90, , , , , , 0, Running
6) 10, AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet, 90, 5, 6, , , , 42, Running
7) 11, Austin Hill, No. 21 Global Industrial Chevrolet, 90, 6, 3, 1, 1, , 43, Running
8) 15, Parker Kligerman, No. 48 Spiked Lite Tropical Coolers Chevrolet, 90, , , , , , 29, Running
9) 9, Sammy Smith, No. 8 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, 90, 9, 8, , , , 33, Running
10) 12, Sam Mayer, No. 1 RTIC Outdoors Chevrolet, 90, , , , , , 27, Running
11) 18, Riley Herbst, No. 98 Monster Energy Ford, 90, 7, 4, , , , 37, Running
12) 7, Ryan Sieg, No. 39 Sci Aps Ford, 90, 8, 5, 1, 4, , 34, Running
13) 2, Brandon Jones, No. 9 Menards/Cheez-it Chevrolet, 90, , , , , , 24, Running
14) 16, Anthony Alfredo, No. 5 Botticelli/Shop Rite Chevrolet, 90, , , , , , 23, Running
15) 5, Chandler Smith, No. 81 Smith General Contracting Toyota, 90, 3, 2, , , , 39, Running
16) 25, Corey Heim(i), No. 26 Lehigh Valley Phantoms Toyota, 90, , 9, , , , 0, Running
17) 20, Daniel Dye(i), No. 10 Champion Container Chevrolet, 90, , , , , , 0, Running
18) 22, Josh Williams, No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet, 90, , , , , , 19, Running
19) 34, Ryan Truex, No. 20 Certified Collision Center Toyota, 90, , , , , , 18, Running
20) 33, Kyle Sieg, No. 28 US Hydrations Ford, 90, , , , , , 17, Running
21) 17, Jeb Burton, No. 27 Puryear Tank Lines Chevrolet, 90, , , , , , 16, Running
22) 19, Jesse Love #, No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet, 90, , , 2, 7, , 15, Running
23) 21, Kyle Weatherman, No. 91 DriveSmartWarranty.com Chevrolet, 90, , , , , , 14, Running
24) 23, Matt DiBenedetto, No. 38 Rema Ford, 90, , , , , , 13, Running
25) 28, Leland Honeyman #, No. 42 RANDCO Industries Chevrolet, 90, , , , , , 12, Running
26) 27, Brennan Poole, No. 44 Members 1st Chevrolet, 90, , , , , , 11, Running
27) 14, Josh Berry(i), No. 15 VIVA Tequila Seltzer Ford, 90, , , , , , 0, Running
28) 37, Thomas Annunziata, No. 4 Teamjdmotorsports.com Chevrolet, 90, , , , , , 9, Running
29) 31, Mason Massey(i), No. 14 Real American Beer Ford, 90, , , , , , 0, Running
30) 24, Jeremy Clements, No. 51 Spartan Waste/Fox Sports 98.3 Chevrolet, 90, , , , , , 7, Running
31) 26, Shane Van Gisbergen #, No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet, 90, , , , , , 6, Running
32) 13, Parker Retzlaff, No. 31 FUNKAWAY Chevrolet, 89, , , , , , 5, Running
33) 32, Patrick Emerling, No. 07 Camelback Resort Chevrolet, 89, , , , , , 4, Running
34) 35, Blaine Perkins, No. 29 AutoParkit.com Ford, 72, , , , , , 3, Suspension
35) 38, Stephen Mallozzi(i), No. 35 GreatPoconoHomes.com Chevrolet, 68, , , , , , 2, Engine
36) 30, Ryan Ellis, No. 43 Sweetwater Construction Corp Chevrolet, 47, , , , , , 1, Accident
37) 29, Josh Bilicki, No. 92 Rita's Ice Chevrolet, 8, , , , , , 1, Electrical
38) 36, Dawson Cram(i), No. 74 10 Mil Brewing Co. Chevrolet, 1, , , , , , 0, Accident
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie

Race Length: 90 Laps, 225. Miles
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 8 Mins, 26 Secs.
Average Speed: 105.113 MPH
Margin of Victory: 0.670 Seconds

Stage 1 Top 10: 7, 00, 81, 17, 16, 21, 98, 39, 8, 18
Stage 2 Top 10: 00, 81, 21, 98, 39, 16, 18, 8, 26, 7

Comments: Cole Custer won the Explore the Pocono Mountains 225 at Pocono Raceway, his 14th victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Prior to the start, the following cars dropped to the rear of the field under penalty for the reasons indicated: Nos. 2, 15, 19, 20 (unapproved adjustments), 44 (inspection failure).

Cautions: 8 for 30 laps;
Laps: 3-6 (No. 74 Incident Turn 1 [None]);
22-25 (Stage 1 Conclusion [9]);
28-30 (Debris Turn 1 [15]);
42-46 (Stage 2 Conclusion [15]);
48-50 (Nos. 29, 31, 42, 43, 44 Incident Turn 1 [None]);
70-74 (No. 35 mechanical backstretch [29]);
76-78 (Nos. 14, 51 Incident Turn 2 [98]);
84-86 (No. 1, 97 Incident Turn 2 [2]).

Lead Changes: 10 among 7 drivers;
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.

Unofficial Driver Points: Explore The Pocono Mountains 225, Pocono Raceway
Rank  Driver     Car  Starts     GL   Points     Ldr  Nxt  Race Wins  Stage Wins Playoff Pts
1.   Cole Custer 00   19   0    716  0    0    1    3    8
2.   Justin Allgaier  7    19   0    665  -51  51   1    11   16
3.   Chandler Smith   81   19   0    657  -59  8    2    5    15
4.   Austin Hill 21   19   0    640  -76  17   2    3    13
5.   AJ Allmendinger  16   19   -2   564  -152  76   0    0    0
6.   Jesse Love #     2    19   1    563  -153  1    1    4    9
7.   Riley Herbst     98   19   1    560  -156  3    0    1    1
8.   Sheldon Creed    18   19   0    543  -173  17   0    0    0
9.   Parker Kligerman 48   19   0    524  -192  19   0    1    1
10.  Sam Mayer  1    19   0    501  -215  23   2    1    11
11.  Sammy Smith 8    19   -1   488  -228  13   0    0    0
12.  Ryan Sieg  39   19   -1   466  -250  22   0    0    0
13.  Shane Van Gisbergen #  97   19   2    463  -253  3    3    2    17
14.  Brandon Jones    9    19   0    412  -304  51   0    0    0
15.  Anthony Alfredo  5    19   0    393  -323  19   0    0    0
16.  Brennan Poole    44   19   0    337  -379  56   0    0    0
17.  Parker Retzlaff  31   19   0    315  -401  22   0    0    0
18.  Josh Williams    11   19   0    308  -408  7    0    0    0
19.  Jeb Burton 27   19   -1   268  -448  40   0    0    0
20.  Jeremy Clements  51   19   1    267  -449  1    0    0    0
21.  Leland Honeyman # 42   19   0    258  -458  9    0    0    0
22.  Kyle Weatherman  91   19   0    254  -462  4    0    0    0
23.  Ryan Ellis 43   19   0    238  -478  16   0    0    0
24.  Kyle Sieg  28   17   0    238  -478  0    0    0    0
25.  Aric Almirola         5    0    202  -514  36   1    3    0
26.  Matt DiBenedetto 38   14   -1   197  -519  5    0    0    0
27.  Blaine Perkins   29   19   1    195  -521  2    0    0    0
28.  Ryan Truex 20   7    -1   181  -535  14   1    0    0
29.  Hailie Deegan         17   1    174  -542  7    0    0    0
30.  Carson Kvapil         5    0    154  -562  20   0    0    0
31.  Garrett Smithley      15   0    143  -573  11   0    0    0
32.  Josh Bilicki     92   10   0    141  -575  2    0    0    0
33.  Austin Green          3    0    112  -604  29   0    0    0
34.  Patrick Emerling 07   14   0    86   -630  26   0    0    0
35.  Joey Gase       7    0    74   -642  12   0    0    0
36.  Bj Mcleod       4    0    69   -647  5    0    0    0
37.  David Starr      5    0    66   -650  3    0    0    0
38.  Jj Yeley        5    0    61   -655  5    0    0    0
39.  Ed Jones        3    0    57   -659  4    0    0    0
40.  Sage Karam      5    0    49   -667  8    0    0    0
41.  Alex Labbe      3    0    46   -670  3    0    0    0
42.  Nick Leitz      3    0    41   -675  5    0    0    0
43.  Jordan Anderson       3    0    40   -676  1    0    0    0
44.  Logan Bearden         4    0    36   -680  4    0    0    0
45.  Brad Perez      2    0    32   -684  4    0    0    0
46.  Bubba Pollard         1    0    31   -685  1    0    0    0
47.  Caesar Bacarella      1    0    30   -686  1    0    0    0
48.  Natalie Decker        2    0    27   -689  3    0    0    0
49.  Justin Bonsignore     1    0    25   -691  2    0    0    0
50.  Patrick Gallagher     2    0    25   -691  0    0    0    0
51.  Myatt Snider          1    0    18   -698  7    0    0    0
52.  Preston Pardus        3    0    18   -698  0    0    0    0
53.  Dexter Bean      1    0    17   -699  1    0    0    0
54.  Nathan Byrd      2    0    17   -699  0    0    0    0
55.  Daniil Kvyat          1    0    16   -700  1    0    0    0
56.  Andre Castro          2    0    16   -700  0    0    0    0
57.  Chad Finchum          3    0    15   -701  1    0    0    0
58.  Thomas Annunziata 4    2    -5   12   -704  3    0    0    0
59.  Glen Reen       2    1    10   -706  2    0    0    0
60.  RC Enerson      1    1    9    -707  1    0    0    0
61.  Boris Said      1    1    9    -707  0    0    0    0
62.  CJ Mclaughlin         2    1    6    -710  3    0    0    0
63.  Armani Williams       1    1    4    -712  2    0    0    0
64.  Ryan Vargas      2    0    2    -714  2    0    0    0
65.  John Hunter Nemechek(i)          10   0    0    -716  2    2    1    0
66.  Kyle Larson(i)        2    0    0    -716  0    1    0    0
67.  Chase Elliott(i)      1    0    0    -716  0    1    0    0
68.  Christopher Bell(i)         1    0    0    -716  0    1    1    0
69.  Ty Gibbs(i)      5    0    0    -716  0    0    2    0
70.  Corey Heim(i)    26   9    0    0    -716  0    0    0    0
71.  Taylor Gray(i)   19   8    0    0    -716  0    0    0    0
72.  William Byron(i) 17   3    -8   0    -716  0    0    0    0
73.  Noah Gragson(i)       2    1    0    -716  0    0    0    0
74.  Kyle Busch(i)         1    1    0    -716  0    0    0    0
75.  Connor Mosack(i)      1    1    0    -716  0    0    0    0
76.  Jeffrey Earnhardt(i)        2    1    0    -716  0    0    0    0
77.  Joey Logano(i)        1    1    0    -716  0    0    0    0
78.  Ross Chastain(i)      2    1    0    -716  0    0    0    0
79.  Alex Bowman(i)        1    1    0    -716  0    0    0    0
80.  Daniel Dye(i)    10   5    1    0    -716  0    0    0    0
81.  Mason Massey(i)  14   3    0    0    -716  0    0    0    0
82.  Tyler Reddick(i)      1    0    0    -716  0    0    0    0
83.  Brett Moffitt(i)      1    0    0    -716  0    0    0    0
84.  Dawson Cram(i)   74   14   0    0    -716  0    0    0    0
85.  Kaden Honeycutt(i)          1    0    0    -716  0    0    0    0
86.  Daniel Suarez(i)      2    0    0    -716  0    0    0    0
87.  Josh Berry(i)    15   1    87   0    -716  0    0    0    0
88.  Frankie Muniz(i)      2    1    0    -716  0    0    0    0
89.  Dean Thompson(i)      1    1    0    -716  0    0    0    0
90.  Stephen Mallozzi(i)   35   1    90   0    -716  0    0    0    0
91.  Ty Dillon(i)          1    2    0    -716  0    0    0    0
92.  Akinori Ogata(i)      1    2    0    -716  0    0    0    0
93.  Jade Buford      0    2    0    -716  0    0    0    0
94.  Kaz Grala(i)          0    2    0    -716  0    0    0    0
95.  Kenko Miura      0    2    0    -716  0    0    0    0
96.  Stanton Barrett       0    2    0    -716  0    0    0    0
97.  Alon Day        0    2    0    -716  0    0    0    0
-Ldr/-Nxt = Points behind Leader/Next higher, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series