Four-wide pass makes Custer a Cup winner
NASCAR CUP
KENTUCKY (USA) 12 JULY
ROUND 17/36
Competing in his first full NASCAR Cup season, Cole Custer arrived in Kentucky carrying positive momentum from a career-best result of fifth from Indianapolis just a week before. But as he lined up
29th on the grid, it was unlikely anybody predicted he would be going four-wide for the race lead with only one lap remaining.
The adage that safety cars breed more safety cars proved to be true in the final 50 tours of the 267-lap race. It had been almost caution-free by the time the final pitstop cycle began, with the only non-scheduled break coming courtesy of a spin from Matt Kenseth. That all changed when Brennan Poole suffered a tyre failure and left debris across the track with just 38 laps remaining.
Martin Truex Jr’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota completed its climb from the back of the grid shortly after the restart, snatching the lead from Brad Keselowski’s Penske Ford.
The final laps looked set to be all about the battle between Truex, Ryan Blaney and the returning Jimmie Johnson, who had missed the previous race after testing positive for COVID-19. But with each caution period, the order behind them was shaken up.
Then Johnson was taken out with 18 laps to run, when contact from Keselowski behind sent him into a spin and caused the penultimate caution period to be thrown.
Normal service seemed to resume at the restart, as series leader Kevin Harvick swept through to the front. The pack made it a further six laps before the racing was paused again due to another spin from Kenseth.
Custer’s Stewart-haas Racing Ford was running fifth on the final restart, but got into a good position on the penultimate lap. The 22-year-old then ran side-by-side with Blaney, Truex, and Harvick as they took the white flag, and managed to edge out his more experienced rivals to win.
Truex followed in second ahead of Matt Dibenedetto, Harvick and Kurt Busch.