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The final race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 last weekend saw Chase Briscoe manage to win a late elimination battle with reigning champion Kyle Larson. The race also saw a major shuffle of the drivers' playoff standings table.
The Bank of America Roval 400 saw Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell win after a strategic masterclass by his team. Meanwhile, other playoff contenders battled throughout the 400-mile-long race to ensure their chances of advancing into the next round.
Stewart-Haas Racing's Chase Briscoe was one of those drivers who sat on the cusp of making it into the Round of 8 this season. Having raced in a position that did not qualify the #14 Ford Mustang driver for the next round for the majority of the event, mechanical troubles for Daniel Suarez and Kyle Larson meant he was seen fighting for crucial spots at the end.
As the Mitchell, Indiana native battled Erik Jones and Austin Dillon during the dying stages of the race, Briscoe's teammate Cole Custer was seen holding up the two significantly.
The resulting defensive driver from Custer saw Briscoe fly past the two cars he needed to overtake to make it into the Round of 8 on the backstretch chicane of the 2.66-mile-long road course. He ultimately finished in P9, successfully advancing to the next round. This led to suspicions amongst NASCAR that Cole Custer's actions on the track were merely to help his teammate and not defend his position.
The governing body is set to review the video and driver-spotter radio transmissions from onboard the #41 Ford Mustang, with any potential penalties not affecting the Round of 8 field.
Did Cole Custer slow down on purpose to help teammate Chase Briscoe?
Matt Weaver, the editor-in-chief at Racing America, took to Twitter to post what Cole Custer had to say about his defensive driving during last weekend's race at Charlotte Roval, which ultimately helped his teammate Chase Briscoe advance to the Rond of 8. Weaver tweeted:
"'Tried to pass the 8, he drove me down the apron on oval 1. I came back on track with a vibration, team yelled at me that I had a flat so I eased it in the corner to see what I had. I got ran over by the 3 twice. Thought I had a flat, had a vibration, got ran over.' -Cole Custer"
It remains to be seen what comes out of the investigations on the #41 Ford Mustang driver, regardless of which, Chase Briscoe is firmly set to compete in the Round of 8 next weekend.
