Custer Finishes 28th in Cup Series Race on Sunday at LVMS
LAS VEGAS, NV (October 12, 2025) – Haas Factory Team posted strong results at Las Vegas Motor Speedway while proudly representing Ford Racing throughout the weekend. In the Xfinity Series, Sam Mayer secured top-10 finishes in all stages, strengthening his playoff position, while Sheldon Creed rebounded from early handling issues to finish 11th. On Sunday, Cole Custer persevered through the Cup race, ultimately finishing 28th.
Xfinity Series
41 Sam Mayer
Sam Mayer finished among the top 10 in all three stages Saturday, gathering valuable stage points and fortifying his playoff hopes as the Round of 8 began. Rolling off 16th in the Audibel Ford, he quickly began picking off positions. An oil light issue surfaced on lap 16, but after resetting the gauges, Mayer continued to clock fast laps and it appeared there were no serious concerns. As the run progressed, his pace improved and he climbed to eighth by the end of the stage, earning three valuable stage points.
In Stage Two, Mayer’s team went to work on pit road, sending him back out in seventh. He continued to showcase speed, turning some of the fastest laps in the field. As the sun began to set, Mayer adapted well to the changing track conditions. He was able to smoothly navigate the turns, wrapping the corners tightly. Running consistently inside the top 10, Mayer finished eighth once again, banking more stage points.
The final stage brought a mix of challenges and opportunities, and Mayer rose to meet them. Restarting sixth, he initially slipped back to 10th as the car felt “edgy,” but he regained his rhythm as the run developed, working his way to ninth and eventually overtaking Brandon Jones for eighth with just over 60 laps remaining. After a green-flag pit cycle, a late caution bunched the field, and Mayer restarted 10th with 29 laps to go. He held his ground through the closing laps, bringing home a solid ninth-place finish. He now sits fourth in the standings, eight points above the cutline with two races remaining in the Round of 8.
“Everyone did a great job of getting this Ford Mustang ready to roll. We weren’t the best, but I think we deserved a little bit better than where we finished,” said Mayer. “Everybody did a great job getting us ready for this. We have some things to work out on pit road, but I’m excited for the next couple of weeks for sure since we’re coming out of here with a decent day.”
00 Sheldon Creed
A determined effort in Las Vegas helped Sheldon Creed move from eighth to sixth in the playoff standings, with two races remaining in the Round of 8. Starting 10th in the Ollie’s Ford, he initially slipped back through the field while searching for grip in the early laps. A timely caution allowed the team to make chassis adjustments, and he immediately noticed better drivability on the restart. Although Creed finished Stage One in 26th, his lap times improved as the run went on, setting the foundation for a comeback effort.
Stage Two saw Creed and his team continue to fine-tune the car. After pitting between stages for additional adjustments, he restarted 19th and steadily worked his way forward. As the sun began to set and track temperatures cooled, the No. 00 Ford adapted well to the changing conditions. The car displayed stronger pace, and Creed reported that it fired off much better. It was clear the team had made meaningful progress, improving by 11 positions to finish the stage 15th.
The final stage showcased just how far Creed and his team had come. Restarting 11th after another pit stop, he navigated a chaotic restart and settled into 12th. Midway through the stage, the team made more adjustments during a green-flag pit stop. When the pit cycle played out, Creed had climbed as high as fifth. After a late caution shuffled positions, he restarted sixth, briefly reclaimed fifth, and ultimately crossed the line 11th after the car tightened up in the closing laps. Sitting sixth in the standings, Creed’s playoff hopes remain strong after rebounding from a slow start Saturday.
“After practice and qualifying I thought we were going to be really strong there and that’s twice now that this new tire has thrown us for a loop like that. We’ll be pretty good in practice and then we start the race like 10 out of 10 loose, so that was challenging to start,” said Creed. “That’s twice that we’ve done that. I’m not blaming it on anyone because I’m equally telling the guys what I think I need for the race and it’s kind of sending us for a loop. Overall, not a terrible finish for our Ollie’s Ford Mustang and I appreciate everyone for the effort.”
Cup Series
41 Cole Custer
Cole Custer and the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford team battled handling issues and a tough track position all afternoon at Las Vegas, ultimately bringing home a 28th-place finish in Sunday’s 267-lap event. Custer rolled off 21st but quickly found the balance of his car too loose in the opening laps, dropping to 26th by lap 15 and reporting the car was edgy and unstable over the bumps.
The team made its first pit stop on lap 35 for four tires and fuel, opting to stay out a few extra laps before pitting. The strategy left Custer a lap down to the leader shortly after, and he cycled back to 31st once pit stops completed. A timely caution on lap 71 allowed Custer to take the wave around and regain lead-lap status, ultimately ending Stage One in 29th place.
Stage Two adjustments provided slight improvements to the car’s handling, particularly on initial restarts and over long runs. Custer hovered around 30th for much of the stage and briefly led a lap during the green-flag pit cycle before settling into 28th at the stage’s conclusion. The team made a wedge adjustment during the caution in hopes of continuing to dial in the balance for the final run.
In the closing stage, Custer restarted 30th but dropped a few spots as the field spread out and track position became increasingly difficult to recover. He continued to battle through a long green-flag stretch until a caution on lap 235 allowed the team to take a wave around to gain a lap back. Another quick caution helped him gain a few more positions, and Custer ultimately came home 28th to close out a challenging day in Las Vegas.
“Everyone fought hard all day, but Las Vegas hasn’t been our place both times this year,” Custer said. “We’ll learn from it and move on to Talladega and try to have a good race there.”
Up Next
Talladega Superspeedway (Talladega, AL)
The Xfinity Series – Saturday, October 18th at 4:00 p.m. ET on the CW Network.
The NASCAR Cup Series – Sunday, October 19th at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC.
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.
