Can you imagine how one would feel if what seemed like a race under the wings suddenly ended with a disappointing loss? Well, this is exactly how Cole Custer has been feeling after he lost one of those races where he was the hero. However, soon No. 21 driver Austin Hill seemed to rocket past the Tony Stewart champ. 

On Sunday, the Homestead Miami Speedway saw Custer and Hill in the lead as frontrunners and it would not be wrong to say that it was a race between these two proponents only! While the two showed a battle of the heroes on track, Custer ended up with an unfortunate slip on the victory. With little time to secure a place in the Championship 4, Cole Custer spoke about his missed Miami opportunity.

Custer Loses out to Hill after a clenching 200-lap tassel

Homestead Miami made it evident that Custer could have been the one who had the highest chance of taking away the checkered flag. He shot up to the first position from the third right at Lap 98 and was at the top for about five seconds before the green flag stopped. However, soon Custer lost the tempo. He could not keep up with the speed proficiency of Austin Hill. No. 21 took the lead. He ended up finishing the battle 3.045 seconds ahead of Custer, leaving everyone in shock and dismay. Throughout the course, Custer and Hill ended up changing lead positions a minimum of 6 times. They also managed to separate themselves from the rest of the pack for the entire Stage 2. 

Although the preferred line at Homestead to mark a victory is close to the wall, Hill had a different plan. He led a race-high 82 laps and won both the Stages. Hill managed to find the perfect spot that allowed him to be on the bottom line and move him yet closer to the victory line. Each time Custer tried to pin down Hill, he would fight back.

However, with only 12 laps left for the run, Austin Hill chased down Custer and finally emerged victorious at the victory line. Reacting to this sudden move away from the victory line, Custer said, “I was a little bit confused, you know, the second-to-last run was really good, and the last run didn’t feel that bad, but the 21 got a lot better. That was a bit surprising, but overall, it was a really solid day. Wish we got the win, obviously, but it kind of is what it is—they were just lights out today”.

Custer enters the Martinsville Speedway with a great 28 points above the cutline. With two spots already filled up with Hill and Allgaier, securing a position in the Top 4 would not be a cakewalk. Custer’s runner-up finish marks his fourth top-two finish at the Homestead Miami. Custer further added, “During the second-to-last run, they fell off quite a bit for whatever reason, but then they picked up a lot of speed the next time. We got a bit free on the long run, which was frustrating, but we’re in a solid points position. We just need a solid day at Martinsville”. 

Despite the near miss at Homestead Miami, Cole Custer seems quite motivated to make a solid finish at Martinsville Speedway. Although Cole Custer currently occupies a safe spot, the upcoming Speedway holds challenges with the Top 4 under the radar. The 0.526-mile stretch could be a challenging trackway and could push out Custer from the Top 4 contenders. However, Cole has not yet ended the hopes of fans. He mentioned, “No matter what, it’s always going to be crazy…we just have to go out there and I think being the team that we are, we will be in the fight.” 

Outside of the title fight, Cole Custer had another commitment, one outside NASCAR.

Custer in the ring at WWE NXT Show

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While Custer’s beer-soaked victory celebrations do hint at the fun and humorous side to his, he was seen at the WWE NXT Show as well. With the Xfinity Series racing as part of NASCAR’s Playoffs triple-header at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, Custer sported the NXT logo on the hood. Custer even mentioned his excitement now that the hood of the car has the NXT emblem.

He took to his official X account and posted, “Kicking off the @NASCAR_Xfinity Playoffs with a championship paint scheme and partnership with @WWENXT on @TheCW_Sports. WWE NXT on The CW premieres October 1 at 8 pm ET! 👊”. He was seen walking out with NXT superstars like Hank Walker and even Tank Ledger. The trio sported a complete fire suit, and the latter played a role at the post-match celebration. This experience seemed to be quite fun for Custer as well who celebrated after the fight.

Cole Custer said, “Man, it’s been awesome. Getting to know Hank and Tank and everything involved here, I mean, those guys are so incredible, how they’re flying around the ring. Learning everything today was just absolutely insane. So it was awesome to have this collaboration and get to see them on the hood this weekend”. After all, this is not the first time when WWE and NASCAR seemed to have joined hands! 

Will Custer be able to apply some of his moves at Martinsville or will the reigning champion have to bid adieu to the Top 4?