Non-playoff competitor Brandon Jones captured the pole position for Saturday’s Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by having “a little more,” runner-up Cole Custer told NBC Sports.
Jones on Friday turned a hot lap of 183.43 mph, edging Custer by 0.039 seconds to secure his fourth pole of the season. Custer, the top playoff qualifier, said his team will seek to gain the little bit they were off.
“There’s always room for more, but it was really fast,” Custer said with a smile. “It was screamin’ down the backstretch.”
Custer mentioned the 1.5-mile oval track appeared to have more grip than in previous events. With Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. ET start, the afternoon conditions may alter racing strategies during the evening hours.
“It’ll be a little different race because it’s going into night a little bit,” Custer predicted. “We’ve seen everyone slippin’ and slidin’ around here the past couple of years, but it might be a little different race this time. “It’ll be interesting and we’ll try to keep up with it.”