Custer Hopes To Build On The Watkins Glen Momentum

Date: Aug. 11, 2018

Location: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington

Layout: 2.4-mile road course

●  The Mid-Ohio Challenge will mark Custer’s second NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington.

●  Custer has four career road-course starts in the Xfinity Series. His best Xfinity Series finish at a road course is sixth – earned last Saturday at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

●  Custer’s best finish in the 20 Xfinity Series races run this season is second, earned in the 11th event May 26 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

●  Ford has won three of the five Xfinity Series races run at Mid-Ohio.

●  Custer has earned four poles, seven top-five finishes, 16 top-10s, and has led 232 laps in the 2018 Xfinity Series season.

●  Custer is second in the Xfinity Series driver standings, 22 points behind series leader Christopher Bell.

●  Custer’s four pole awards this season leads all Xfinity Series regulars.

●  Last year at Mid-Ohio, Custer suffered mechanical issues on lap two and re-entered the field 22 laps down. He ran the remainder of the race turning top-10 lap speeds.

●  There are only six races left until the Xfinity Series playoffs begin Sept. 21 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The winner of the regular-season points championship will earn an additional 15 playoff points – equivalent to winning three races.

●  Custer is competing for his fifth consecutive top-10 this weekend.

Based on your performance at Watkins Glen, what are your expectations going into your second consecutive road-course race?

“We managed to turn what looked like a bad weekend into a solid top-10 finish at Watkins Glen. We had a lot of ups and downs throughout that race, including the rain. We fell back about 10 spots because there was confusion about whether or not we were going to run the windshield wiper when it rained, but it was fun slipping and sliding out there. I definitely don’t want to do that again at Mid-Ohio, though. I think we’re starting to understand road courses better than last year, so I feel more confident heading into the weekend.”

Explain the difference between racing at The Glen and Mid-Ohio. 

“Compared to Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio has a lot more low-speed and technical corners. It’s a fun place because you get to hit curbs and have some elevation changes. This race puts the outcome a little more in the driver’s hands rather than the car’s performance.”

How would you evaluate the performance of your road-course program this year?

“It has certainly improved. We didn’t put together the fastest car last weekend, but we’re definitely getting better. We’re working with better equipment this year and more notes to go off of. Cole has improved in his ability to get around a road course, as well. Our goal right now is obviously to win a race, but we’re pushing hard to earn the regular-season championship – it will put us in a great spot going into the playoffs.”

●  About Haas Automation: Haas Automation, Inc., is America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. Founded by Gene Haas in 1983, Haas Automation manufactures a complete line of vertical and horizontal machining centers, turning centers, and rotary tables and indexers. All Haas products are built in the company’s 1.1 million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California, and distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets that provides the industry’s best sales, service and support while offering unparalleled cost-to-

performance value.

●  Haas VF-1: This year marks the 30th anniversary of Haas Automation’s very first vertical machining center – the industry-leading VF-1. The “V” in the model name stands for vertical – an industry-standard designation for a vertical mill – and company founder Gene Haas added “F1” to unofficially designate it as the company’s “Very First One.”Introduced at IMTS 88 in Chicago, the Haas VF-1 established an industry milestone, by being the very first American-built vertical machining center to sell for less than $50,000, an unheard-of price at that time. With a published price of $49,900 – another industry first – the Haas VF-1 quickly became the industry benchmark for affordable CNC technology. Today, the Haas VF-1 still sells for less than $50,000.

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!