Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer secured his first victory of the 2024 season at the Explore The Pocono Mountains 225 on Saturday. The win marks Ford’s inaugural series triumph this year and Custer’s second career victory at Pocono Raceway.

Custer, driving the No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, outpaced Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports in a thrilling finish. He took the lead on a restart with nine laps to go and held off Allgaier by 0.670 seconds. This victory is Custer’s 14th career win in the series.

The race saw intense competition, with Allgaier leading a race-high 30 laps and Custer leading for 25 laps. Each driver claimed a stage win, but a pit-road penalty hampered Allgaier’s chances after his Stage 1 victory.

William Byron, the 2024 Daytona 500 winner, finished third. Sheldon Creed and Taylor Gray rounded out the top five.

The win extends Custer’s lead in the Xfinity Series championship to 51 points over Allgaier. With seven races left before the playoffs, the competition remains fierce.

The series moves to Indianapolis Motor Speedway next Saturday for the Pennzoil 250, where we’re back to the oval!!!

Image: James Gilbert/Getty Images