Cole Custer wins Food City 300, claims NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season crown

Cole Custer picked up his second win of the season in the Food City 300 regular-season title race on Friday night at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The win earned Custer a crucial 15 Playoff-point bonus as the race determined the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff field.

Custer overcame early contact with the outside wall to lead 104 laps, taking control for good on Lap 209 after passing Sheldon Creed.

His win at Bristol marked his first at this track and the 15th of his career. Custer finished 0.896 seconds ahead of Creed, who now has 13 runner-up finishes in Xfinity races without a win.

“This win is huge for us, especially after the tough month we’ve had,” said Custer, the reigning series champion, who will begin his title defense on Sept. 28 at Kansas Speedway. “We’re going to take this momentum into the Playoffs and really go for it.”

The race also solidified the final two spots in the Playoffs, with Sammy Smith and Parker Kligerman securing their places after finishing 15th and 16th, respectively.

Chandler Smith finished third, with Jesse Love in fourth, both having already clinched their Playoff positions. Ryan Truex took fifth, followed by Brandon Jones, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ryan Sieg (who narrowly missed the Playoffs by 36 points), and Sam Mayer, who also qualified for the postseason.

The regular-season championship battle was unpredictable. Custer’s early brush with the wall on Lap 2 caused a tire issue, putting his second-place position in the standings at risk.

Meanwhile, Justin Allgaier, who entered the race leading the standings, encountered his own misfortune on Lap 52. After leading every lap up to that point, Allgaier’s path was blocked when Austin Green‘s Chevrolet hit the wall and collided with Allgaier’s car. The incident tore off the rear bumper of Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevy, forcing a pit stop for repairs.

Despite continuing, Allgaier’s position quickly worsened. The JR Motorsports driver returned to the track on Lap 60 and stayed out during the stage break after Lap 85, placing him fifth for the restart on Lap 96.

Allgaier would climb to second by Lap 127 but lost his spot after contact between Creed’s Toyota and his Chevy sent Allgaier’s car into the inside wall on Lap 153.

If that wasn’t bad enough, during repairs, Allgaier’s team inadvertently left a saw under the car, leading to a penalty.

From then on, he ran three seconds off the pace, losing laps and positions rapidly.

When Custer took the lead from Creed on Lap 209, he also took control of the regular-season championship, erasing Allgaier’s 43-point advantage entering the race. Custer won the regular-season title by a slim three-point margin, although Allgaier will still enter the Playoffs as the top seed with 34 Playoff points compared to Custer’s 28.

“I don’t know what to say about tonight,” said Allgaier, who finished 30th and 10 laps down. “We had the best car, but after that wreck, everything fell apart. We’ll regroup and focus on the Playoffs.”

The Xfinity Series Playoffs begin next week at Kansas.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Food City 300

Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol, Tennessee
Friday, September 20, 2024

1. (2) Cole Custer, Ford, 300.
2. (14) Sheldon Creed, Toyota, 300.
3. (1) Chandler Smith, Toyota, 300.
4. (10) Jesse Love #, Chevrolet, 300.
5. (16) Ryan Truex, Toyota, 300.
6. (8) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, 300.
7. (13) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 300.
8. (12) Ryan Sieg, Ford, 300.
9. (20) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 300.
10. (5) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 300.
11. (3) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 300.
12. (7) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 300.
13. (15) Riley Herbst, Ford, 300.
14. (17) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 300.
15. (21) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 300.
16. (11) Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 300.
17. (29) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 299.
18. (34) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 299.
19. (19) Joe Graf Jr., Toyota, 299.
20. (22) Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 299.
21. (32) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 299.
22. (33) Blaine Perkins, Ford, 299.
23. (36) Kyle Sieg, Ford, 299.
24. (26) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 299.
25. (25) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 299.
26. (9) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 298.
27. (35) Logan Bearden, Ford, 298.
28. (30) Carson Ware, Chevrolet, 295.
29. (38) Greg Van Alst, Chevrolet, 292.
30. (4) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 290.
31. (31) Leland Honeyman #, Chevrolet, 290.
32. (18) Chad Finchum, Ford, 280.
33. (23) Stefan Parsons(i), Chevrolet, 276.
34. (24) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 275.
35. (6) Jeffrey Earnhardt(i), Toyota, Accident, 205.
36. (37) Garrett Smithley, Ford, Rear Gear, 113.
37. (27) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, Accident, 51.
38. (28) Austin Green, Chevrolet, Accident, 50.