Tony Stewart’s Champ Refuses to Call Out Disgruntled JGR Star Despite Slashed New Hampshire Hopes

Despite leading the race for 114 laps, Cole Custer lost out on victory to an unlucky contact. Cole Custer was in a prime position to get his first win of the season in New Hampshire but a critical contact with Sheldon Creed and a late surge from Christopher Bell, dashed those hopes While, for Custer, it would have been easy to blame Creed, instead he chose sportsmanship over being bitter.

The defending Xfinity Series champion led coming to the white flag, but was put three-wide by the Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Sheldon Creed and Christopher Bell. In a post-race interview, he refused to blame Sheldon Creed, whose actions granted Christopher Bell his fourth win in four races on the track.

“It is what it is,” Custer accepts fate after heartbreak in the final laps

With just two laps to go, Cole Custer’s No. 00 Ford Mustang made contact with Sheldon Creed’s No. 18 Toyota Supra as both drivers looked to get their first win of the season. However, this allowed Christopher Bell, who was in third place, to capitalize on the opportunity by making a three-wide pass on the inside just after the white flag and holding on to his position till the end. For all his dominance, Custer was forced to settle for the final step at the podium but refused to blame Sheldon Creed for how the race panned out.

In an interview, Cole Custer was asked if contact with Creed’s No. 18 Toyota was the only reason Christopher Bell took the lead. Custer admitted that if he were in a similar situation, his maneuvers would have been the same. He said, “I mean, I would have done the same thing you know. You’re racing for the win, it is what it is”. 

Instead of running after his competitors on the track, Custer was more concerned about what he could have done better during the overtime restart. “I’m definitely going to relive that, what I could’ve done different to protect a little bit more,” he said.

Despite, the result, Custer did retain the points lead by 15 markers over Chandler Smith. But a first win of the season would’ve officially sealed a place in the postseason and given him five extremely valuable playoff points.

Though the winless status stung him, he praised his teammates. He acknowledged their hard work, thus boosting their confidence for the upcoming race at Nashville.

He shared, “Man, it just stings. I felt like we had the best car all day. That’s not easy to do at these flat shorts tracks. I mean, our guys brought such a fast car but man. You get put in those late restarts six times or whatever. Eventually, it’s not going to go your way.”

Despite no wins in 16 races, Cole Custer is the man to beat in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He has finished consistently in the top 10, except the opening two races in Daytona and Atlanta. Though he could not get the result he wanted in New Hampshire, there are plenty of positives that Custer can reflect on.

He managed to keep two Joe Gibbs Toyotas at bay for large parts of the race. One of them was driven by the back-to-back Xfinity winner at NHMS, Christopher Bell. That is enough for him to remain upbeat about the season ahead. He currently sits seventh in the Xfinity Series playoff standings with 10 races to go in the regular-season and has a 205-point cushion above the playoff cutoff line.

This weekend’s Xfinity race did not give us an insight only into Custer’s humility. Post-race and post-winning, Christopher Bell also went on to share how he reached the victory lane.

Was Christopher Bell in the right place, at the right time?

Trending

Chevy Prodigy Loses NASCAR Seat, Fans Allege Ignorance to Kyle Busch’s Daytona Setback Behind It

“There’s Going to Be a New Player”- Kyle Petty Warns the Entire NASCAR Garage With Bold Prediction About Spire Motorsports Star

Michael Jordan’s Opponent’s Warning Comes True as Roger Penske Shuts Down NASCAR’s Infiltration

Joey Logano Leaks NASCAR’s Threat to Kick Teams Out of Daytona 500 After Chevy’s Defiance to $400,000 Fine

“You Didn’t Win”- Legendary HMS Crew Chief Publicly Trashes Joey Logano’s Championship Sweep With Bold Playoff Solution

Having won at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Christopher Bell will consider his chances in the Cup Series race as well. After all, the 29-year-old has already won two races in the Cup Series so far, and who can stop him in this form at his favorite track? Yet, despite his past heroics on the track, Bell gave a nod to the person who made him a hero once again, even if accidentally so.

Speaking after the race, Christopher Bell spoke about how Creed propelled him to the win. The 29-year-old said, “I was just really fortunate, that’s for sure. I feel so bad for Sheldon. He’s been really, really close to winning these things and today he did everything right to win that race. He restarted in the right lane and gave Cole [Custer] a good push. And coming to the white flag, he got Cole loose and that’s what opened the door for me.”

Relying on a last-lap pass in overtime, Christopher Bell secured a dramatic victory at the 1.058-mile track. The victory was by one of the narrowest of margins, pulling away to a 0.254-second victory over Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Sheldon Creed. The result also tied Bell with AJ Allmendinger with four Xfinity Series wins in four starts at a single track. For Cole Custer, he will have a chance to register a first win of the season next weekend at Nashville in the Tennessee Lottery 250.

How do you think this trio will fare in Nashville? Will the two who fell short this time step up and shine in the upcoming race?