Custer earns first Cup Series win on wild final restart

SPARTA, Ky. – The Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart has had a reputation change over the past couple of seasons. Kentucky Speedway, the 1.5-mile tri-oval that has had several changes to its design and racing surface the past 20 years, has gone from having “character” to now owning some of the wildest finishes seen in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Cole Custer recorded his first NASCAR Cup Series victory Sunday after a green-white-checker finish that might have outdone last year’s brotherly battle between Kurt and Kyle Busch – the brothers Busch were door-to-door on the last lap with Kurt coming out on top.

Custer passed Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney and Kevin Harvick on the last lap coming out of Turn 2 to get to the lead. Despite Truex’s best efforts in the final half of the lap, Custer wouldn’t relent.

“We were so good all day,” Custer said during the postrace interview at the start-finish line. “That’s the best car I’ve ever driven in my whole life.”

Custer said that while Kentucky is a difficult track to pass at, he knew he would have a chance at the end because of the strength of his race car.

For the final restart, Custer was positioned on the outside of the third row when the field took the green flag. The 22-year-old Cup Series rookie made his way to the outside of the lead cars coming off Turn 4 heading to the white flag.

When the leaders passed the startfinish line to begin the last lap, it was a four-wide battle as Custer was to the outside of Truex, Harvick and Blaney. Harvick and Blaney collided heading into Turn 1 and wouldn’t factor in the finish.

Coming off Turn 2, Custer got a run to the outside of Truex, who couldn’t put the block on before the No. 41 passed him going down the backstretch. After passing Truex, Custer had to hold on through the treacherous Turns 3 and 4.

The win is also a Cup Series first for Stewart-Haas Racing at Kentucky.

“I’m just really happy for Cole Custer and everybody on the No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang,” Harvick, a teammate of Custer at SHR, said after the race. “That’s pretty cool to get your first win. As much as I would have loved to win, I’m glad that we kept it in the company.”

Kentucky Speedway is the only Cup Series track where Harvick has yet to record a victory.

Truex finished second, followed by Matt DiBenedetto, Harvick, and Kurt Busch.

“Man, it was crazy,” DiBenedetto said. “We had a really good car . ... We had two monstrous restarts and then pushed Cole to the win there, which kind of felt cool. Good for him.”