Cole Custer wins Xfinity race at Pocono in farewell season for Stewart-Haas Racing

By DAN GELSTON The Associated Press

LOND POND, Pa. (AP) — Cole Custer drove away from Justin Allgaier over the final laps to give the 2023 Xfinity Series champion his first win of the season, earning a playoff spot for Stewart-Haas Racing in its farewell season with the checkered flag Saturday at Pocono Raceway. Allgaier finished second. Cup regular William Byron finished third, Sheldon Creed fourth and Taylor Gray fifth. Custer had another dominant season in NASCAR’s second-tier series with seven top-five finishes and 14 top-10s in 18 races. He was the series points leader who just hadn’t won a race.