Cole Custer wins the Blue Ox 100 in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East action on Saturday at Richmond International Raceway. Photo – Getty Images
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NASCAR Next driver Cole Custer gets his third career win in K&N Pro Series East
Sixteen-year-old Cole Custer of Ladera Ranch, CA won the Blue Ox 100 on Saturday at Richmond International Raceway after passing his teammate and pole sitter Nick Drake on lap 49. From there he led the rest of the race, collecting his third series win in 16 starts. His first two wins came last season at Iowa Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Custer also earned his first K&N West win in the 2014 season opener at Phoenix International Raceway in February.
“We followed Nick in the early part, but part of it was I spun the tires on the first couple of restarts,” said Custer. “I finally figured it out and we got him on the restart.”
Saving tires played into the winning strategy, with no planned stops in the 100-lap race on the .75-mile track.
“I was trying to save what I could, but when you’re out front, it’s hard to figure out how much,” he stated. “I thought (Rhodes) was definitely going to get me. I thought I went too early, but we were able to hang on.”
Ben Rhodes, the points leader finished second for his fourth top-five result in five starts this season.
“It was a good race for us. I was just being patient in the beginning,” said the 17-year-old Ben Rhodes. “When I saw Cole go, I knew I’d better go. I just wasn’t able to catch him. It was a good day and a good points day, and I’m really happy with our finish.”
With his first series career pole award, Nick Drake finished the race in third-place.
“We led the first half of the race or so before Cole got around us,” said the 18-year-old Drake. “We struggled with grip pretty much all day, but I’ll take a third. It was a pretty good day.”
Austin Hill crossed the line in fourth, followed by Ronnie Bassett Jr in fifth while Cameron Hayley, Brandon Jones, Brodie Kostecki, Jeremy Burns and Jesse Little round out the top-ten finishers of the day.
Custer, Rhodes, Hill and Little, along with eight others are the newest members of the NASCAR Next class announced on Friday. NASCAR Next is a program that highlights talented young stars within the sport as drivers to watch as they progress their careers.
The Blue Ox 100 telecast by FOX Sports 1 is on Friday, May 2 at 4:30 pm ET.
The K&N Pro Series East meets the West for their next race on Saturday, May 17th for the Casey’s General Stores 150 at Iowa Speedway in Newton, IA.