Cole Custer put forth an encouraging performance behind the wheel of the No. 00 NASCAR Ford Mustang in the Xfinity Series race at Bristol on September 15th, 2023, and at the end of the day, he was the only Blue Oval team to finish inside the top five.
Custer hung near the front of the field throughout the race, stalking the No. 7 Chevy Camaro of Justin Allgaier and the No. 88 Camaro of Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the top spot. Custer stayed on the same pit strategy as Earnhardt, ensuring that he could keep pace with the leaders. Custer claimed the lead heading to the Stage 1 finish, leading across the stripe to secure valuable Playoffs points.
On the Stage 2 green flag, Custer threw the No. 00 NASCAR Ford ahead, leading while the pack traded paint behind him. However, he found himself under fire from Allgaier as the laps ticked down, as the No. 7 Camaro assumed the lead on the bottom lane after a brief side-by-side battle.
Ultimately, while Custer wasn’t able to secure the win, he held on for a fourth-place finish after leading 109 laps. Riley Herbst’s No. 98 Mustang was the next-best NASCAR Ford team, finishing eighth. Allgaier’s No. 7 Camaro, meanwhile, celebrated in Victory Lane.
| Finish | Start | Car Number | Driver | Team | Laps Run | Laps Led | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | BRANDT Chevrolet | 300 | 110 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 2 | 5 | 10 | Daniel Hemric (P) | Cirkul Chevrolet | 300 | 33 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 3 | 3 | 20 | John Hunter Nemechek (P) | Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota | 300 | 1 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 4 | 1 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Mobil 1 Ford | 300 | 109 | Ford Mustang |
| 5 | 4 | 16 | Chandler Smith # (P) | Barger Precast/Quick Tie Products Inc. Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 6 | 7 | 39 | Ryan Sieg | Sci Aps Ford | 300 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 7 | 12 | 19 | Trevor Bayne (P) | He Gets Us Toyota | 300 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 8 | 16 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Monster Energy Ford | 300 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 9 | 6 | 18 | Sammy Smith # (P) | Pilot Flying J Toyota | 300 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 10 | 31 | 26 | Kaz Grala | CRUSH Tropical Punch Toyota | 300 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 11 | 21 | 2 | Sheldon Creed (P) | Whelen Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 12 | 18 | 11 | Derek Kraus | Crav'n Flavor/Hardscape Construction Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 13 | 38 | 27 | Jeb Burton (P) | Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 14 | 29 | 24 | Connor Mosack | Toyota Racing Development Toyota | 300 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 15 | 14 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff # | FUNKAWAY Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 16 | 36 | 25 | Brett Moffitt | AM Technical Solutions Ford | 299 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 17 | 25 | 44 | Rajah Caruth(i) | Gilreath Farms/AAN Adjusters Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 18 | 22 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Diamond Doors Assa Abloy Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 19 | 35 | 7 | Stefan Parsons | Sokal/Nelson's Green Brier Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 20 | 20 | 92 | Josh Williams | Alloy Employer/DAN-O'S Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 21 | 27 | 28 | Kyle Sieg | Cooks Comfort Ford | 298 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 22 | 28 | 6 | Brennan Poole | Macc Door Systems Chevrolet | 297 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 23 | 30 | 4 | Kyle Weatherman | TeamJDMotorsports.com Chevrolet | 297 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 24 | 9 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | All South Electric Chevrolet | 297 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 25 | 32 | 78 | Anthony Alfredo | Dude Wipes Chevrolet | 296 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 26 | 19 | 38 | Joe Graf Jr. | Food City/Bucked Up Ford | 295 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 27 | 24 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | Insurance King/ROCK'N VODKA Chevrolet | 294 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 28 | 33 | 02 | Blaine Perkins # | Gratis Chevrolet | 294 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 29 | 23 | 8 | Chad Finchum | Elite Petroleum Ford | 276 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 30 | 15 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hellmann's Chevrolet | 271 | 47 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 31 | 13 | 48 | Parker Kligerman (P) | Spiked Light Coolers Chevrolet | 246 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 32 | 17 | 45 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | K9Grass Chevrolet | 229 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 33 | 26 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Bennett Transportation Chevrolet | 217 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 34 | 8 | 9 | Brandon Jones | Menards/Patriot Lighting Chevrolet | 178 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 35 | 11 | 1 | Sam Mayer (P) | Huck's Market Chevrolet | 166 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 36 | 2 | 8 | Josh Berry (P) | Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats Chevrolet | 166 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 37 | 37 | 35 | BJ McLeod | Sci Aps Chevrolet | 117 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 38 | 34 | 66 | Timmy Hill(i) | Coble Enterprises Toyota | 81 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
P – Playoffs eligible
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