NASCAR at Kentucky live updates: Cole Custer uses crazy late restart to grab win

NASCAR is primed to race 400 miles at Kentucky Speedway Sunday afternoon as the Cup Series narrows in on its 2020 playoffs. The Quaker State 400 starts at 2:30 p.m. on FS1. Two-time Kentucky race winner Kyle Busch is starting on the pole.

The PJ1 traction compound continues to be an unknown variable for teams. The track-bite formula was applied to the bottom groove of the 1.5-mile tri-oval this morning, according to FOX Sports.

“Hopefully the groove will widen out some,” two-time Kentucky winner Martin Truex Jr. said ahead of the race. “It’s gonna be hot this afternoon, so maybe that will help with it, but it’s gonna be a challenge and we’ll just do the best we can with it.”

The weather accounts for another unforeseen element, with high temperatures and thunderstorms expected later this afternoon. Saturday’s Truck Series race was called early due to storms near Sparta, Ky. speedway. Today’s race could follow suit, but hopefully not before drivers are able to lock in some points.

Follow along here for lap-by-lap updates from the Quaker State 400. Refresh this page for the latest updates. Full results will be published here shortly after the race.

Final: Custer gets the win

Custer took the lead on a late restart and grabbed the victory. He led just five laps all day ... Truex Jr. was second, DiBenedetto third and Harvick fourth.

5:14 p.m., Lap 226: Custer in the lead.

Custer is currently leading the race with 41 laps to go, followed by Byron, Bell, Harvick, Dillon, Reddick, McDowell, Kyle Busch, Truex Jr. and Blaney. There are 267 total laps in the race and they just completed lap 226.

4:46 p.m., Lap 173: Truex battles for the lead, Johnson moves up

Johnson gets into the top-three off the restart and holds his spot, while Truex takes the lead from Keselowski for less than a lap, getting a run on the No. 2 driver coming off of Turn 4. Keselowski quickly retakes the lead, however, and the two Kentucky winners continue to battle it out. Blaney runs close behind in the top-four. Then it’s Ku. Busch, Elliott and DiBenedetto.

4:34 p.m., Lap 160: Keselowski holds off Blaney for Stage 2 win

Keselowski takes the inside lane on the restart, then racing high in front of Blaney, but Blaney finishes the stage less than half a second behind Keselowski. Cole Custer races to a third place stage finish, followed by Lognao, Truex, Bowman, A. Dillon, Johnson, DiBenedetto and Jones in the top-10. Reddick just misses the points cut in 11th.

4:25 p.m., Lap 155: Caution, advantage Keselowski

The second yellow flag of the race comes out after Kenseth spins, which was caused by a No. 42 crew member hitting a valve stem. Keselowski is the new leader under caution, according to NASCAR, since he crossed the start-finish line as the caution flag came out. Keselowski says on the radio that Blaney, who is second on the restart, has the fastest car.

4:22 p.m., Lap 150: To pit road

Reddick becomes the first lead-lap driver to pit with under 20 laps left in Stage 2. Hendrick Motorsports drivers, Elliott, Johnson and Bowman follow a few laps later. Then Team Penske drivers pit, followed by Almirola. Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Hamlin and Ky. Busch follow, and, a few laps later, Jones does too. Keselowski, who last pitted at the stage break, stays out late.

4:16 p.m., Lap 138: Blaney leads

Almirola gets behind John Hunter Nemechek at the back of the field and slows, allowing Blaney to pass between Almirola on the lower lane and Nemechek on the outside. Blaney is still driving the turns with one hand. A shot from the FOX Sports broadcast shows that he’s holding his shifter still and has not yet attached the bungee cord. He’s looking to pit around Lap 149 to make adjustments, according to FOX Sports.

4:10 p.m., Lap 125: Equipment dominates

With no unforced cautions yet, equipment off the truck appears to be the dominant factor in this race so far. Blaney moves in front of teammate Logano and the two drivers run second and third now behind Almirola, who still leads the field. Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson has moved into the top-10, going from 10th to ninth to seventh by Lap 136. His Hendrick teammate Alex Bowman runs in fifth, while Elliott moves behind Johnson in eighth.

3:52 p.m., Lap 95: The restart shuffle

Logano moves into second place during the race off pit road. DiBenedetto remains in third, then Elliott and Blaney follow. Blaney was given a bungee cord by his team to help him adjust his shifter (which earlier had an issue), but he’s unable to hook it properly the first time around.

Further back, The Busch brothers battle for the 11th and 12th place position, with Kurt Busch edging for the lead in the outside lane. Tyler Reddick then pushes into 12th and the younger Busch falls to 13th on the inside. Almirola still leads, and notches the fastest lap of the race so far at 180.6 miles per hour.

3:40 p.m., Lap 80: The No. 10 takes Stage 1

Aric Almirola wins Stage 1 over four seconds ahead of second-place Chase Elliott. Almirola’s SHR teammates also fall into the top-10. The finishing order for the stage goes Almirola, Elliott, Logano, DiBenedetto, Blaney, Harvick, Bowman, Ku. Busch, Bowyer and Truex. It’s the second stage win of the season for Almirola, who comes off pit road in first still.

“(Team’s) been doing an incredible job,” Almirola tells the FOX Sports broadcast. “Five top-fives in a row. We’ve definitely got momentum on our side.”

3:32 p.m., Lap 70: Almirola holds strong

Almirola continues to the lead the field, ahead of Elliott and DiBenedetto, who moves passed Logano for third place. DiBenedetto started in 10th place via random draw, and has raced in the top-five for most of the completed laps. Team Penske teammate Blaney is running in fifth, while Keselowski has dropped to 14th. Stewart-Haas Racing is leading Stage 1 with Almirola in first, Harvick in sixth and Bowyer in ninth.

Notable: “Ryan Blaney has a rocket ship right now!” FOX Sports analyst Jeff Gordon says.

3:20 p.m., Lap 40: Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin struggle

The order settles into Almirola, Elliott, Logano, Harvick and Blaney. Drivers who started in the inside lane on the restart seem not to be faring as well as those on the outside lane. Ky. Busch says on his team radio that he has “no front grip” and that his No. 18 splitter feels like it’s “five inches from the ground” (very high) on the Turns. JGR teammate Hamlin says his No. 11 car feels “really, really tight.” Blaney proves his consistency after racing up to the top-five from eleventh at the start.

3:10 p.m., Lap 25: Competition caution, series leaders drop

Points leaders Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick have dropped multiple spots between the start and Lap 20 (Hamlin eight positions and Harvick three). Truex, however, has moved up after starting 35th (for failing pre-race technical inspection). He has raced up to 20th in the same number of laps. Almirola continues to to lead, followed by Busch, Logano, Bowman and Keselowski in the top-five at the caution. DiBenedetto, Elliott, Harvick, Jones and Blaney round out the top-10.

Almirola then leads the field after the caution on Lap 31, with Logano on the inside lane in second. Ty Dillon gets a commitment line violation on pit-road.

3:04 p.m., Lap 15: Almirola to the lead

Logano drops back, remaining in the top-five and battling with Team Penske teammate Brad Keselowski, but gets passed early by Aric Almirola. Almirola follows Busch’s line in the lead then makes a move to the inside to pass Busch on Lap 10, taking the top spot. Drivers are still feeling out the PJ1 on the track, but Harvick says over the radio he’s loose. Bubba Wallace’s spotter Freddie Kraft tells the No. 43 driver that he’s got “two jobs today”

“Get to their right rear and protect yours,” Kraft says.

2:54 p.m., Lap 2: Green flag!

Without rain impeding its start, NASCAR is off with the younger Busch leading the pack, battling with Logano, in P2. The field almost immediately goes three-wide, but Busch holds the lead. There will be a competition caution on Lap 25.

2:36 p.m.: Pre-race ceremonies

NASCAR Hall of Famer driver Darrell Waltrip delivers the pre-race invocation, along with his wife, Stevie. Guitarist Robert Randolph performs the national anthem. MLB’s Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto delivered the command to start engines broadcast from the dugout during what appeared to be a training session.

Driver Joey Logano, starting in P2, says earlier on the FOX Sports broadcast that his starting place today should help, as will clean air if his No. 2 team can continue to run up front.

“Hopefully we can stay up front,” Logano said. “Put ourselves in position to win this thing.”

2:10 p.m.: Cloudy skies, but clear of rain...for now

There is still a 60 percent chance of rain this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. But any storms will likely hit after the race starts, putting its finish into jeopardy. According to the weather radar, a rain cell cluster is expected move over the speedway between 3 and 5 p.m. The green flag is scheduled for 2:54 p.m.

1:45 p.m.: Past Kentucky race winners to the rear

Before the race, NASCAR announces that the No. 19 of Truex Jr. and the No. 42 of Matt Kenseth will drop to the rear at the start after the cars twice failed pre-race inspection. Both drivers have won at the speedway — Truex twice, in 2017 and 2018, and Kenseth once in 2013. Truex was previously slated to start ninth, while Kenseth was lined up for a 17th place start via random draw.

“It’s definitely not optimal,” Truex said. “I mean it’s going to be a bit of a challenge at a track that’s difficult to pass on, and we’ve seen throughout the weekend that the PJ1 is definitely the preferred groove and really not much has been happening on the bottom lanes.”

HOW TO WATCH NASCAR CUP RACE AT KENTUCKY

• Race: Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart

• Distance: 400.5 miles, 267 laps (stages end on laps 80, 160, 267)

• When: Sunday, 2:30 p.m.

• TV: FS1 (broadcast starts at 2 p.m.)

• Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• 2019 Race Winner: Kurt Busch

FINAL RESULTS