RFK tips Custer to qualify for dad-again Keselowski at Phoenix

Cole Custer will qualify the No. 6 Ford for RFK Racing on Saturday afternoon as Brad Keselowski has left Phoenix Raceway to be with his wife Paige, who has gone into labor.

NASCAR Cup Series qualifying is scheduled for 1:35 p.m. local time (4:35 p.m. ET). It will set the field for the final race of the season and the championship-deciding race for William Byron, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney.

Custer will pull double duty on Saturday. Following Cup Series qualifying, Custer will compete for the Xfinity Series championship in his No. 00 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing.

RKF Racing stated: “Brad Keselowski will not qualify the No. 6 car today, due to his wife, Paige, going into labor. In place of him, Cole Custer will qualify the car later this afternoon. The expectation is that Brad will return to Phoenix Sunday to drive the No. 6 in the NASCAR Cup Series Race.”

Custer has made six Cup Series starts this season with Rick Ware Racing with his best finish being a 24th-place result at Kansas Speedway last month. He was a full-time Cup Series driver from 2020 through 2022.