Defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champ Cole Custer joins ‘Sports Nation Nightly’ ahead of the Championship 4. He and Joe talk about what it takes to win, the hard work put in behind the scenes, and dealing with a heated rival.

Cole Custer had all the makings for a successful defense of his NASCAR Xfinity Series championship from a year ago, leading the title-eligible quartet until Justin Allgaier’s late-race surge. Austin Hill also seemed to have a potential upper hand,

Cole Custer meanwhile is the reigning champion ... Allmendinger has had a good if unspectacular year in the Xfinity series in 2024. He has won just a single race at Las Vegas, but that’s been enough to fire him into the fight for the championship.