Cole Custer wins Xfinity Series Pennzoil 250 pole award at Indianapolis

On the day he announces his return to the NASCAR Cup Series, Cole Custer gets it done and wins the pole award at Indianapolis. The Xfinity Series points leader is showing why he is the defending champ.

Cole Custer will lead the field to green today in the Xfinity Series. Custer and teammate Riley Herbst locked out the front row. Custer laid down a lap that was two-tenths quicker than Herbst, it wasn’t even close.

Today, Custer looks for his second win of the season. That would send a message to the competition.

It's a front-row sweep for @StewartHaasRcng!@ColeCuster wins the pole and @rileyherbst will start second in today's race at @IMS! pic.twitter.com/8QQyvjGZ3v

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) July 20, 2024

During his qualifying lap, Custer was notably further away from the wall than other drivers. Usually, the idea is that the closer to the wall you get, the faster you can get your car. Custer disproved that, showing that he could run a car width away from the wall and still beat everyone for P1 in qualifying.

Tony Stewart and his Cup Series win at Indianapolis in 2005 are NASCAR lore. Is it any coincidence that his Xfinity Series cars are the fastest two in qualifying for his final year as a team owner? It would be fitting to see one of these SHR cars end up in Victory Lane.

This is the third pole award of the season for Cole Custer. He won the pole at Las Vegas and Phoenix this Spring. He finished those races P2 and P5. So, expect the No. 00 to be competitive today.

Cole Custer feels ‘fortunate’ to return to Cup Series

For all of you Cole Custer fans, good news! Your guy is going Cup racing and your 41 gear from 2020-2022 is still valid. Jokes aside, Custer has earned his way back to the top level of NASCAR with a championship and now, leading the points in 2024.

Custer announced the news and made it official earlier today. During qualifying, he talked on the TV broadcast about 2025 and his excitement.

“I mean obviously, ever since you’re a little kid you dream of going Cup racing,” Custer said. “So, I’m really fortunate just for the opportunity and all the support Haas has in me. I’m excited to get going and get to work on it. I think we have a lot of great resources with that RFK alliance. … I think we should be able to go out there and as long as we get a great group together I think we can go out and do some special things.”

Cole Custer is a driver who is going to bring experience and a steady hand. Is he ever going to win a Cup Series championship? I would be absolutely shocked. Will he be able to help this team develop as a single-car operation and make moves towards improving? Absolutely.