Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-45):
● Cole Custer started fifth, finished third. Earned eight stage points.
● Custer kept his No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang inside the top-five throughout Stage 1 and ran as high as third.
● Custer radioed to crew chief Jeff Meendering that he was tight to the center and over the bumps in turns three and four.
● At the conclusion of the stage, Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. He gained one position on pit road.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 46-90):
● Started second, finished second. Earned nine stage points.
● Custer piloted his Haas Automation Ford Mustang into second place for the entirety of
Stage 2.
● Custer pitted for four fresh tires, fuel and more air pressure adjustments at the end of the stage.
● During the race off pit road, Erik Jones, driver of the No. 20 car, earned a speeding penalty, handing the lead to Custer.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 91-200):
● Started first, finished seventh.
● Custer held the lead for the first 38 laps of the final stage.
● During a lap-181 caution, Custer pitted for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. He restarted in the fourth position.
● Custer was caught in traffic on the restart. With nowhere to go, he made contact with the rear of the No. 22 car of Ryan Blaney.
● Custer’s Haas Automation Ford Mustang suffered light nose and side damage as result of the contact.
● After pitting to assess and repair the damage during a caution on lap 190, Custer restarted in the 16th position and rallied to his 13th top-10 of 2017.
Notes:
● Custer led four times for 41 laps, the second-highest total in the race.
● The 41 laps led were Custer’s highest single-race total in 31 career XFINITY Series starts.
● Custer’s 17 stage points were his highest single-race total in 31 career XFINITY Series starts.
● Custer was the highest finishing rookie and XFINITY Series regular in Stages 1-2.
● Custer earned his 13th top-10 of 2017 and his 15th top-10 in 31 career XFINITY Series starts.
● Custer will start the seven-race playoffs as the eighth seed among the 12 eligible drivers.
● Five cautions slowed the race for 24 laps.
● Justin Allgaier won TheHouse.com 300 to score his fifth career XFINITY Series victory, his second of the season and second at Chicagoland Speedway. His margin of victory over second-place Kyle Larson was 1.772 seconds.
Cole Custer, driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“I was happy with that today. That is the best speed we’ve had all year in the Haas Automation Mustang. It was really good and a huge momentum builder. That was probably the most fun I’ve ever had in a stock car, doing those crossover passes. I have respect for him (Kyle Larson) racing me clean there. That was a lot of fun. Erik (Jones) was just pushing it. I think he knew he was probably in a bad spot and tried to keep it in the gas and forced Blaney in the wall. I was right behind it and couldn’t go anywhere. That is how it goes, though.”
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