Handling Challenges Hold Cole Custer to 26th Place Cup Series Result
Xfinity Series
The Haas Factory Team tandem of Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed doubled down in the desert to capture a pair of top-10 finishes. Mayer ran with the leaders most of the day to record a 5th-place result, while Creed battled and came home in 10th.
After a strong qualifying effort, Mayer started 5th on Saturday and showcased early run speed throughout Stage One. In this race—one that saw only three cautions—long-run speed was critical. The Haas Factory team went to work, making air pressure and chassis adjustments to dial in the Audibel Ford. Those improvements solidified Mayer’s consistency. After a 9th-place finish in Stage One, he surged to 5th-place finishes in the final two stages.
“I’m really proud of these guys; they brought a car that could compete,” said Mayer. “We were a little off compared to where we need to be to go up there and win, but we have something to build off of, and I’m looking forward to keeping it going.”
Like his teammate, Creed had a car that fired off with exceptional speed. Just 45 laps in the race, he picked up 11 positions in the Friends of Jaclyn Ford. The gains held up for a 12th-place finish in Stage One. Unsatisfied, Creed continued to push forward and was up to 9th at the end of Stage Two. Creed found himself continuing to claw toward the front, getting as high as 8th in the third stage. Although the car’s handling transitioned from loose to tight during that run, Creed overcame the challenge and scored a 10th-place result at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“That was a fight for sure,” said Creed. “It’s kind of hard to make adjustments on it when it’s swinging that much. Just a hard-fought 10th place right there.”
Cup Series
When the green flag waved Sunday at the mile and half Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Cole Custer was on the move. Within the first 40 laps Custer drove the HaasTooling.com Ford from 26th starting position up to as high as 13th.
As the race wore on though, handling became a challenge. Trying to navigate the high banked, sweeping corners, Custer’s car was tight. To roll the turns and carry momentum, Custer needed the car to turn more. Crew Chief Aaron Kramer made the call for several chassis adjustments throughout the day. By race’s end, the car’s setup was much different compared to the way it started the 267-lap race.
Custer worked to overcome the balance and finished 26th. He is 35th in the NASCAR Cup Series Points through five races this season.
Up Next
Homestead Miami Speedway (Homestead, FL): Xfinity – Saturday March 22, @ 4:00pm Cup — Sunday, March 23, 2025 @ 3:00pm ET on FS1
About Haas Factory Team
The Haas Factory Team is a NASCAR Cup and Xfinity program owned by Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation. Beginning in 2025, the team will feature Cole Custer driving the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the NASCAR Cup Series, while Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer take on the Xfinity Series in the No. 00 and No. 41 Ford Mustangs, respectively. Based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, the Haas Factory Team reflects a commitment to performance and engineering excellence, carrying forward Gene Haas’s commitment to motorsports.
