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Cole Custer Hit With L1 Penalty over Michigan Car

Joshua Lipowski

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Royal T Grafix

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Cole Custer has been penalized for a rules infraction with his splitter at Michigan International Speedway last weekend.

What’s Happening?

NASCAR announced that the 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Xfinity Series team driven by Cole Custer has received an L1-level penalty for a rules infraction, with the splitter found before qualifying at Michigan. The penalty is the loss of 20 driver and owner points, along with five Playoff points.

You Need to Know:

  • The penalty does not change his Playoff position, but it does drop him from 86 to 106 points behind the points leaders John Hunter Nemechek and Austin Hill. Custer still is in fourth in the points standings, but he is currently third in the Playoff standings.
  • This is the first major Xfinity Series penalty since Sheldon Creed was penalized for intentionally wrecking Sammy Smith. He was docked 25 points for that, and he now sits in 12th place in the Playoff standings, only 18 points above the cut line.
  • NASCAR in general has had a trend with penalties this season, but the Xfinity Series has been relatively clean. Fans gave their own opinions on the penalty on social media, with some noting how rare it is to see a penalty like this in the Xfinity Series.

In the Stands

Cheating in Xfinity is definitely not common.

A difficult year for SHR continues as Marcus Newling puts it.

Quite random indeed @fakeSuper1.

ejr6309 notes that this takes away a full win essentially in terms of Playoff points from Custer.

Probably no more perfect gif than this.

A fair, and understandable point from Megan Neuhaus. What infractions necessitate something like this rather than just going through inspection one more time?

Paradise Turnpike with the perfect meme to represent how SHR and NASCAR have dealt with each other this season so far.

From the Pressbox

Bob Pockrass says that SHR will not appeal the penalty, and he offers some context for why NASCAR made the decision they did.

At the end of the day, this is not the worst penalty in the world for Cole Custer. However, it does hurt, and it could loom large come Playoff time.

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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - APRIL 06: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on April 06, 2025 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Lionel Racing Reveals First Wave of 2026 NASCAR Authentics Diecast

by Kauy Ostlien

What’s Happening?

Lionel Racing finally confirmed the first wave of 2026 NASCAR Authentics 1:64 scale diecast for Monday morning, with the line of retail-exclusive diecast featuring a new look for the new year.

  • This line will include six throwback paint schemes from NASCAR’s 2025 throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway. Though they did not release one in 2025, this move restarts an annual tradition of Lionel releasing at least one wave of cars carrying the colors of that prior season’s throwback designs.
  • Included in this wave of cars are Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, William Byron, and Sammy Smith. Alongside these paint schemes’ debuts in the Authentics line is a new design for the packaging of the 2026 line of NASCAR Authentics.
  • Last season was somewhat turbulent for Lionel as, alongside issues with tariffs, the brand only released three waves of NASCAR Autentics, one wave of NASCAR Autentics Winners Circle diecast, and two waves of Haulers.
  • Lionel announcing the first wave of 2026 early on in the new year is perhaps a sign that 2026 could return this line to its regular release schedule. The post from Lionel Racing also confirmed that the brand will announce another wave by the end of the week, further hinting at a recommitment to the Authentics line.

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SPARTA, KY - JUNE 26: Chase Pistone, driver of the #9 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet, talks with his crew during practice for the NASCAR Camping World Series UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway on June 26, 2014 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Chase Pistone, NASCAR Trucks and Nationwide Series Driver, Passes Away

by Kauy Ostlien

What’s Happening?

Chase Pistone, a former competitor on the short track racing circuit in addition to NASCAR’s National Series, has passed away. Pistone, now a successful Legends Car owner, was 42.

  • Chase’s brothers Nick and Tom Pistone confirmed the North Carolina natives’ passing to LegendsNation.com. The cause of Pistone’s passing is unknown. The family asked that media share the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number, which is 988.
  • Pistone, the grandson of NASCAR legend “Tiger” Tom Pistone, made his way to NASCAR after competing on short tracks in Legends cars and Late Models. He would make his jump to NASCAR via the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2005, racing for Green Light Racing at Martinsville Speedway.
  • Pistone would continue his NASCAR pursuits in 2006, racing in ARCA and the NASCAR Busch Series. Unfortunately, these two starts, at Martinsville with the Busch Series and Iowa with ARCA, would be his last for nearly a decade.
  • Pistone returned to NASCAR in 2014, racing in a combined eight NASCAR Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series races. During this season, his final in NASCAR, the then 30-year-old scored his best National Series finish, ninth place in the Truck Series annual trip to Gateway.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

8 Takeaways From NASCAR At COTA

by Bryan Aguiar

Three races in, the 2026 season is finally starting to show its hand. COTA shifted narratives, exposed weaknesses, and raised new questions about contenders, pretenders, and everything in between.

  • Has Shane van Gisbergen officially been proven mortal after getting outraced late at Circuit of the Americas?
  • Is 19-year-old Connor Zilisch already ahead of schedule after slicing through the field multiple times?
  • With three straight wins, is Tyler Reddick basically a lock for the postseason this early?
  • And how concerned should the 48 team be after a rough weekend for Alex Bowman?

From substitute drivers being forced into action to points gaps growing faster than expected, COTA delivered more than just a road course chess match. There were momentum swings, reputation hits, and at least one young driver stacking up enemies before stacking up results.

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