RICHMOND, VA (August 16, 2025) – Cole Custer and Haas Factory Team (HFT) entered Richmond Raceway with confidence, fueled by a strong record on short tracks this season. Saturday night’s race was a challenge of tire management, long green-flag runs, and pit strategy — all of which played major roles in the outcome.
Starting 24th, Custer held position early as the opening 70-lap stage ran caution-free. Crew chief Aaron Kramer chose to split the stage with a scheduled stop for four tires and fuel around halfway. Custer dropped to 26th during the cycle and wrapped up Stage One in 27th. A fast pit stop during the stage break allowed him to restart 21st for Stage Two.
As another long run unfolded, Custer climbed to 24th in his No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford before hitting pit road on lap 125. Kramer’s decision to stretch the next run proved smart when a caution on lap 180 caught much of the field mid-cycle — with Custer running ninth. The timely yellow allowed the No. 41 to pit under caution and restart inside the top 20.
Unfortunately, a series of late-stage cautions led to multiple restarts, and Custer slipped back to finish Stage Two in 24th. The final stage saw the longest green-flag run of the night — 130 laps without interruption. During the pit cycles, Custer briefly reached as high as second, but as stops played out, he settled back and ultimately crossed the line in 24th.
Up Next
The NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series head to Daytona International Speedway next weekend. Race coverage for the Xfinity Series is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW, and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC for the Cup Series.
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.
