COLE CUSTER
Atlanta Advance
No. 41 Dixie Vodka Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing
Event Overview
● Event: Folds of Honor 500 (Round 5 of 36)
● Time/Date: 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 20
● Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway
● Layout: 1.54-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 325 laps/500 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 105 laps / Stage 2: 105 laps / Final Stage: 115 laps
● TV/Radio: FOX / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Notes of Interest
● Cole Custer, driver of the No. 41 Dixie Vodka Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), will be making his milestone 80th career NASCAR Cup Series start during Sunday’s Folds of Honor 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. But even though the 2020 Cup Series Rookie of the Year has made three previous Cup Series starts on the 1.54-mile oval and another four in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series combined, he will in essence be seeing the 62-year-old facility for the first time this weekend. The track underwent a wholesale reconfiguration and repave since Custer and his fellow Cup Series competitors last raced there in July, its banking increased from 24 to 28 degrees, the racing surface narrowed from 55 to 40 feet wide, and it has been completely resurfaced with fresh asphalt and an improved, high-tech drainage system.
● With the venerable racetrack’s reinvention, teams will have the luxury of a full, 50-minute practice session Friday before qualifying Saturday and racing for 500 miles on Sunday.
● In his three previous Cup Series starts at Atlanta, Custer scored top-20 finishes in each and has made incremental improvement each outing. He was 19th in his first outing in 2020, and was 18th and 17th in last year’s March and July races, respectively.
● In his three Atlanta starts in the Xfinity Series, Custer’s best was his most recent, when he qualified his No. 00 SHR Ford on the pole and finished second by .191 of a second to Christopher Bell in the February 2019 race. Custer finished 10th in his Atlanta Xfinity Series debut in 2017 before returning in 2018 to qualify fourth but seeing his race end early after a lap-10 accident.
● Custer first appearance at Atlanta came in the February 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, when he started sixth and finished 17th in the No. 00 entry for JR Motorsports.
● After his 16th-place finish last weekend on the Phoenix Raceway mile oval, Custer arrives at Atlanta 24th in the driver standings, 63 points out of first.
● Riding along with Custer and the No. 41 SHR Mustang for the first of three races this season is Dixie Vodka. Launched in 2014 and based in Charleston, South Carolina, Dixie Vodka was established with the simple mission of creating an all-American premium craft vodka that represents the best of Southern flavor, craftsmanship and hospitality. With six signature flavors – including its flagship Southern Original, Black Pepper, Citrus, Mint, Peach and Wildflower Honey – Dixie Vodka partners with local farmers across the South to infuse regionally cherished ingredients into its award-winning products, each of which is six-times distilled from American corn. In 2020, Dixie Vodka was ranked the ninth-fastest growing spirits brand in the United States by the Beverage Information Group and remains the largest premium craft vodka produced in the Southeast. In partnership with the Southern-raised sport that transcends regional boundaries, Dixie Vodka is proud to serve as the Official Vodka of NASCAR and the Official Vodka of Stewart-Haas Racing. Dixie Vodka donates at least 1% of all profits through its 1% for the Planet program, a commitment to supporting non-profits that work to protect the future of the planet. A core brand within the Grain & Barrel Spirits portfolio – an innovation-driven beverage platform that develops and scales craft spirits brands led by founder Matti Anttila – Dixie Vodka can be found on Facebook and Instagram, and on shelves in more than 30 states.
● Last year, Custer and the No. 41 Dixie Vodka Ford Mustang introduced three of the company’s newest product offerings – Tony’s Tea, named after SHR co-owner Tony Stewart, along with Greyhound Cocktail, and Peach Cocktail. Dixie Vodka will return to the No. 41 Mustang team as primary sponsor for the 600-mile race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in May, and for the second year in a row at Nashville Superspeedway in June.
Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 41 Dixie Vodka Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing
You’re headed to the completely revamped Atlanta Motor Speedway oval. How do you see the racing shaping up there this weekend?
“It’s going to be interesting. These cars are on edge so, going to Fontana, Las Vegas and Phoenix was interesting to see which guys were pushing it more than others and which crew chiefs and teams were pushing it more than others in the setup. It’s something that I think we haven’t seen in a few years where guys were spinning out in practice and qualifying. It’s been really interesting to see what guys are pushing it to the max. In the Cup Series you’ve got to live on that edge. If you holding anything back, you’re not going to run well, so it’s definitely interesting to see which guys are pushing it more than others. It’s definitely going to be interesting at Atlanta, first of all just because it’s a new week. Every single week you don’t know what to expect, and especially this weekend, it’ll be very interesting to see how these new NextGen cars handle on a brand new track. Fortunately, we’ll have a full, 50-minute practice session Friday and it’s going to be very, very important to make our best use of that time.”
Everyone is expecting the racing this weekend to resemble the high-speed pack racing at Daytona and Talladega. How do you feel about that style of racing?
“Yeah, we’ve got six speedway races, now, counting the two this year at Atlanta, and I think that’s a good number. It’s so exciting. I think all the drivers love to do it because it’s a totally different skillset. But there is a lot of luck involved and, as a driver, you want to have a little bit more control. So I think it’s nice they’re sprinkled throughout the schedule.”
The Daytona 500 and the West Coast swing are in the rearview mirror. How do you like the new NextGen car, so far?
“I think from my experience with the car they’ve done a solid job. Obviously, the mile-and-a-half tracks, where a lot of aerodynamics come into play, has been very interesting. You don’t have the sideforce that you want in the car to really have the confidence that you want, but it makes it very interesting as the driver to kind of find that limit and try not to go over because I think we’ve seen a lot of guys do that. And then, I think we’ve seen a lot of people who aren’t usually in the top-10 from the past racing up front. It’s been crazy. Even after four races, I think it’s still very much an even playing field just because nobody has figured out this car completely, yet. It’s anybody’s game right now and this weekend brings another new adventure.”
No. 41 Dixie Vodka Team Roster
Primary Team Members
Driver: Cole Custer
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, California
Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
Hometown: Amherst, Ohio
Car Chief: Tony Cardamone
Hometown: Bristol, Virginia
Engineer: Lee Deese
Hometown: Rockingham, North Carolina
Engineer: Scott Bingham
Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia
Spotter: Andy Houston
Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina
Over-The-Wall Members
Front Tire Changer: Josh Leslie
Hometown: Mount Clemens, Michigan
Rear Tire Changer: Coleman Dollarhide
Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina
Tire Carrier: Chad Emmons
Hometown: Tyler, Texas
Jack Man: Matthew Schlytter
Hometown: Ponte Vedra, Florida
Fuel Man: Dewayne Moore
Hometown: Griffin, Georgia
Road Crew Members
Mechanic: Joe Zanolini
Hometown: Sybertsville, Pennsylvania
Shock Specialist: Aaron Kuehn
Hometown: Kensington, Connecticut
Tire Specialist: Austin Greco
Hometown: Harrisburg, North Carolina
Transporter Co-Driver: David Rodrigues
Hometown: Santa Clarita, California
Transporter Co-Driver: Charlie Schleyer
Hometown: Youngsville, Pennsylvania
