COLE CUSTER | RILEY HERBST
Atlanta NASCAR Xfinity Series Advance
NASCAR Xfinity Series Overview
- Event: Alsco Uniforms 250 (Round 17 of 33)
- Date: Saturday, July 8
- Location: Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia
- Layout: 1.54-mile oval
- Time/TV/Radio: 8 p.m. EDT on USA/PRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Cole Custer Notes of Interest
- After a rain-shortened but triumphant weekend at NASCAR’s inaugural Chicago Street Race, Cole Custer and the No. 00 Haas Automation team are ready to keep the momentum rolling in Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 250 Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Custer scored his second victory of the 2023 season last weekend on the downtown streets of Chicago after rain and standing water forced NASCAR to call the race 30 laps before its scheduled 55-lap distance. Before the unprecedented call on Sunday to declare the race official before it reached its halfway point, Custer had already shown his dominance from the outset of the race on Saturday, leading all 25 laps run until the red flag flew for lightning. After winning the opening 15-lap stage, Custer had a commanding lead of more than two seconds over fellow Xfinity Series regular John Hunter Nemechek and looked to be well on his way to winning the 15-lap Stage 2. He became the third SHR driver to win an inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series race since 2020. SHR’s Chase Briscoe won the inaugural Xfinity Series race on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July 2020, and Aric Almirola won the first-ever Xfinity Series race at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway on June 10.
- Despite a challenging start to the season, Custer has certainly found his stride. His two wins and counting have put him in a strong position for the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, and he’s jumped to third in the driver standings from the 10th position he held prior to the April 1 race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, now 44 points behind Nemechek, the regular-season championship leader. Custer also has now earned 10 top-10 finishes in a row, a streak that began with his fifth-place result at Richmond. With 10 races left before the playoffs begin Sept. 15 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Custer is looking to close the points gap and take home not only more wins, but that regular-season championship trophy.
- Saturday’s race will be Custer’s fifth in the Xfinity Series at Atlanta and second since the track was reconfigured in time for the 2022 season. He started eighth and finished 12th on the newly configured track in March, and his best of three outings on the old configuration was a runner-up finish from the pole position in February 2019, when he crossed the finish line .191 of a second behind winner Christopher Bell. Custer has six Atlanta starts outside of the Xfinity Series – five in the NASCAR Cup Series and one in the NASCAR Truck Series. Best of his Cup Series outings was a ninth-place finish last July, and his lone Truck Series outing in February 2016 resulted in a 17th-place finish from the sixth starting position.
- Custer will be pulling double duty this weekend as he’ll also be behind the wheel of the No. 51 Jacob Companies Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing for Sunday’s Atlanta 400 Cup Series race.
Riley Herbst Notes of Interest
- While last weekend’s race on the Chicago street course didn’t end like Riley Herbst and the No. 98 Monster Energy team had hoped, they’re ready to show their resilience in Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Herbst started 15th at Chicago and worked his way into the top-10 before he was forced to pit to repair damage sustained after a car spun in front of him. After working his way back toward the front, the No. 98 Monster Energy team opted to pit when the caution flag flew on lap 24. It put Herbst further back in the pack and, when the race was about to be restarted, lightning was reported in the area to bring out the red flag. The race never resumed due to rain and standing water, and when it was declared official on Sunday, Herbst was credited with a 24th-place finish.
- Despite the unpredictablility that Atlanta’s 1.54-mile oval now brings with its racing style being more akin to a superspeedway, Herbst has proven his ability to persevere and survive at the track. In his three starts since the reconfiguration, he has not finished outside the top-10 with a best of fourth earned in the March race last year. His three starts on the old configuration netted a best result of sixth in March 2021.
- In the most recent race at Atlanta this past March, Herbst looked to be having his strongest run there. He finished in the top-10 in the opening two stages to earn 15 stage points and, thanks to quick work by his No. 98 Monster Energy pit crew, he came off pit road first to start the final stage of the race. Herbst led 11 laps in the final stage and stayed in the top-five while trying to avoid mayhem and go for the win in the closing laps. Herbst held his position through multiple attempts at NASCAR overtime and took the checkered flag fifth. It was his second top-five and fifth top-10 through this year’s opening five races.
Cole Custer, Driver of the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang
You’re coming off your second win of the 2023 season and your 10th consecutive top-10. Does that give you a boost of confidence heading into this weekend at Atlanta?
“I mean, it definitely does. This whole summer stretch here, we just need to stay on a roll and stay on it. You want to try to collect as many playoff points as you can as the regular season winds down. The race wins and stage wins help with that, so we just have to keep moving in that direction. This next month, we just have to keep rolling and heading in the right direction.”
Atlanta is more akin to a superspeedway now. What are your expectations heading into the weekend after your 12th-place finish there earlier this year?
“It’s always going to be crazy, especially at the end of the race. People are going to try to push and shove their way to a win, just like at Talladega or Daytona. There’s also the factor of handling involved, so that can lead to some wrecks as the laps go down. Overall, this reconfiguration has put on some exciting racing, so hopefully it does the same this weekend and we can come out on top.”
Riley Herbst, Driver of the No. 98 Monster Energy Ford Mustang
Atlanta has been kind to you since the reconfiguration was introduced last year. You haven’t finished worse than ninth in your three starts since 2022. How does the reconfiguration suit your driving style?
“The No. 98 Monster Energy team has done well at Atlanta since the reconfiguration. Even when we had a bad race, we’ve been able to recover for a top-10 finish with how they’ve changed the track. Honestly, I think the track changing to have more superspeedway-style racing has helped me as a driver. In the past few seasons, the No. 98 Ford Mustang has been fast at the superspeedway races, but we just maybe haven’t had enough Fords in the field to help us capitalize on it. We just have to have a little bit of luck and speed when we roll off on Saturday night. I’m excited to head back there.”
You’ve experienced two races with your new crew chief Davin Restivo. How is that going?
“I think we’re off to a good start. The key right now is working on our communication, but we’re getting there. He’s brought fast cars both weekends, and I honestly think we would’ve gotten a solid finish on the Chicago Street Course had the rain not come in. We were on a good pit strategy and that was all Davin’s call. We’re in a good place, and I’m excited to get to these upcoming tracks with him and the entire No. 98 crew.”
