Cole Custer has won for the first time this season after a late battle at Pocono Raceway.
A four-lap shootout determined the outcome of Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race. Justin Allgaier took the lead after a push from William Byron, but Custer was able to get back alongside the JR Motorsports driver.
Custer took back the lead for good and then held on for the final three laps of the race while Allgaier and Byron tried to chase him back down.
Allgaier crossed the line second. Byron, Sheldon Creed, and Taylor Gray rounded out the top five of the finishing order.
MORE: Custer wins, full Pocono results
MORE: Xfinity driver points
Custer is the first repeat winner at Pocono in Xfinity history. He captured the 2019 race and then returned to victory lane Saturday at the 2.5-mile track. Custer also won Ford Performance's first race in Xfinity this season.
"That was some Doug Yates horsepower right there," Custer told NBC Sports' Kim Coon. "We definitely had something on the straightaways today. Man, I just can't say enough about these guys. They've worked so hard this whole year and haven't had that final result. To finally get (the win) is so awesome."
WHAT A BURNOUT.
Cole Custer celebrates his first win of the season in style. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/EHJzRD1uFq
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 13, 2024
Stage 1: Justin Allgaier won stage 1 with a four-second lead over the field. This was his 11th stage win of the season. Cole Custer, Chandler Smith, William Byron, AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill, Riley Herbst, Ryan Sieg, Sammy Smith, and Sheldon Creed all scored stage points.
Allgaier then received an equipment interference penalty during his pit stop, forcing him to drop to the rear of the field for the stage 2 start.
Josh Berry had a disastrous opening stage. He had two flat tires that dropped him off the lead lap. The first pit stop was also very slow. The NBC Sports broadcast said the AM Racing crew could not find the left-side tires.
Stage 2: Custer won the second stage at Pocono Raceway. Chandler Smith, Hill, Herbst, Sieg, Allmendinger, Creed, Sammy Smith, Corey Heim, and Allgaier all scored stage points.
The difference: The final green flag pit stop of the day played the biggest role in the outcome of the race. Byron entered pit road in the lead but Custer passed him with a better stop.
Once the caution flew for a stalled car, Custer was able to cycle back into the top five and line up on the second row. He was then able to move into second place before the caution for Jeremy Clements and Mason Massey. This sequence of events set Custer up to take the lead and control the final restart.
Next: Xfinity Series teams head to Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 20 for their first race on the 2.5-mile oval since the 2019 season. Allgaier is the only full-time Xfinity driver with a win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.