Cole Custer

Cole Custer
Born January 23, 1998
Ladera Ranch, California, U.S.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career
10 races run over 2 years
Truck no., team No. 00 (JR Motorsports)
2014 position 25th
Best finish 25th (2014)
First race 2014 Kroger 250 (Martinsville)
Last race 2015 Kroger 250 (Martinsville)
First win 2014 UNOH 175 (Loudon)
Wins Top tens Poles
1 6 2
Statistics current as of March 28, 2015.

Cole Custer (born January 23, 1998) is an American stock car racing driver. He currently drives the No. 00 Chevrolet Silverado for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Racing career

Custer began racing quarter midgets at age four. In 2011, Custer won the USAC National Focus Young Guns Championship. The following year, Custer began racing late models, winning ten races and earning Rookie of the Year honors.[1]

Touring series

Custer's No. 00 Pro Series East car at Richmond International Raceway in 2013

In 2013 Custer joined the K&N Pro Series East, making his debut at Bristol Motor Speedway[1] for Ken Schrader Racing. During the season at Iowa Speedway, Custer won the pole position, led every lap, a record for a combination race, and won, becoming the youngest race winner in K&N Pro Series history at age 15, beating Dylan Kwasniewski's record by six months.[2][N 1] Custer would win again at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, also from the pole.[5][6] He finished eighth in the series standings.[7] Custer later ran in the K&N Pro Series West's season-ending race. Custer led every single lap, but was turned by Gray Gaulding on the final lap, and finished sixth.[7]

In the 2014 season, Custer won the Pro Series West opener at Phoenix International Raceway, holding off Greg Pursley and Brennan Newberry on the green–white–checker finish.[8]

National series

In 2014, Custer joined Haas Racing Developments to run nine races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, making his debut in the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway.[7] Custer started the race 9th, and finished 12th.[9] In qualifying for the Drivin' for Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park, Custer set the track record with a 136.426 miles per hour (219.556 km/h) lap speed, becoming the youngest pole winner in NASCAR history.[10]

At New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 20, 2014, Custer won the Camping World Truck Series' UNOH 175 from the pole, becoming the youngest winner in the history of NASCAR's national touring series at 16 years, 7 months and 28 days.[11][N 2]

On January 12, 2015, JR Motorsports announced that Custer would drive a truck for them in 10 races in 2015.[12]

Personal life

Born in Ladera Ranch, California, Custer is the son of Joe Custer, executive vice president at Stewart-Haas Racing. SHR co-owner Gene Haas' company, Haas Automation, sponsors Custer.[1]

He is a descendant of American Civil War hero General George Armstrong Custer which is his second great grandfather. This is curious since George Custer was thought to be sterile from having contracted gonorrhea while at West Point. George and Elizabeth Custer never had children.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Camping World Truck Series

* Season in progress
1 Ineligible for series points

References

Notes
  1. ↑ The current youngest K&N Pro Series winner is Gray Gaulding, winning at Phoenix International Raceway at 15 years, 8 months and 30 days.[3][4]
  2. ↑ NASCAR's "national touring series" include the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series; some include the 1972–1973 Grand National East Series as well.
Citations
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Edwards Staggs, Brooke (May 13, 2013). "Ladera 15-year-old hits NASCAR circuit". Orange County Register. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  2. ↑ Associated Press (August 3, 2013). "Fifteen-year-old Cole Custer breaks record in NASCAR K&N race". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  3. ↑ Hardin, Ed (February 7, 2014). "Gaulding, 15, ready to go racing". News & Record. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Gray Gaulding". NTS Motorsports. March 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-20.
  5. ↑ Kerchner, Mike (September 22, 2013). "Short-Track Roundup: Cole Custer wins second NASCAR K&N Pro Series race". Autoweek. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  6. ↑ Remillard, Jason (September 21, 2013). "Cole Custer wins NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway". The Republican. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Spencer, Lee (January 20, 2014). "Custer, turning 16 this week, to run limited Truck schedule". Foxsports.com. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  8. ↑ Sbarra, Shon (February 27, 2014). "Custer Finally Gets Phoenix Win". NASCAR Home Tracks. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  9. ↑ "2014 Kroger 250". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Cole Custer sets track record, wins 21 Means 21 Pole Award". NASCAR. June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  11. ↑ "16-year-old Cole Custer becomes youngest to win Truck Series race". Sporting News. September 20, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-20.
  12. ↑ "JR Motorsports to run select NCWTS races with Cole Custer". Foxsports.com. January 12, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.

External links