● The O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 is the fifth of seven races in the NASCAR XFINITY Series playoffs and the second race in the second playoff round, which consists of eight drivers. Four drivers will be eliminated at the conclusion of the three-race round, narrowing the field to a quartet of drivers who will compete in a winner-take-all championship finale Nov. 18 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
● Cole Custer is eighth in the XFINITY Series playoffs with 3,030 points, 36 behind series leader William Byron and eight behind fourth-place Brennan Poole.
● Texas Motor Speedway is the 10th of 11 1.5-mile tracks on the 2017 XFINITY Series schedule. Custer leads the 2017 XFINITY Series in three statistical categories at 1.5-mile tracks this season – points scored (326), average finish (9.0) and laps led (90).
● In 13 XFINITY Series starts and nine NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at 1.5-mile ovals, Custer has four top-five finishes and 12 top-10s.
● Custer has earned two top-fives in the XFINITY Series this season at 1.5-mile tracks – April 8 at Texas (fifth) and Sept. 23 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta (fifth) – and finished in the top-10 at three other venues – March 4 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (10th), May 27 and Oct. 7 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (seventh and sixth, respectively) and Sept. 16 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois (seventh).
● Custer’s best finish in the 30 XFINITY Series races run this season is fourth, earned in the 11th race of the year June 3 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The result equaled Custer’s best career XFINITY Series finish, which he earned in his series debut in May 2016 at Charlotte.
● Custer has six top-fives and 18 top-10s in 35 career XFINITY Series starts.
● At 19 years and 9 months of age, Custer is the youngest driver in the playoffs.
● Custer’s best qualifying effort in the 30 XFINITY Series races run this season is third, earned three times – April 22 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, June 10 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway andSept. 23 at Kentucky. Custer has 22 top-10 starts and nine top-five starts this season.
● Custer is third in the XFINITY Series Rookie of the Year standings, 56 points behind leader Byron and 15 points behind second-place Daniel Hemric. Custer has earned eight Rookie of the Race awards this season, three having come at 1.5-mile tracks (fifth at Texas, 11th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and sixth at Charlotte). Rookie of the Race awards are given to the highest-finishing rookie.
● The O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 will mark Custer’s 36th career XFINITY Series start and his second XFINITY Series start at Texas.
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