Custer, Creed, and Mayer deliver disciplined performances
MARTINSVILLE, VA (October 26, 2025) – The Haas Factory Team brought competitive cars and a lot of determination to Martinsville Speedway this weekend. In the Cup race, Cole Custer kept the No. 41 Texas A&M University Ford solidly inside the top half of the field all afternoon, earning a hard-fought finish. In the Xfinity Series, teammates Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer rose to the playoff challenges in bold bids for the Championship 4.
Cup Series
41 Cole Custer
Cole Custer turned in a composed and competitive performance at Martinsville Speedway, running solidly inside the top half of the field throughout much of Sunday’s race. Starting sixth in the Texas A&M University Ford, he held his ground among the leaders early. As the laps clicked off, Custer’s No. 41 trended tight on short runs and loose on longer ones, challenging the team to find the right mix of grip and drive off. Despite the changing conditions, he maintained consistent speed and wrapped up the opening stage in 14th.
In Stage Two, Custer and his team continued to fine-tune the car’s handling, making adjustments aimed at improving long-run stability. Though several cautions interrupted the flow of the stage, the team stayed proactive on pit road, working to find a setup that would help the car turn through the center without hurting rear grip. Custer remained poised through the restarts, running just outside the top 10 and showcasing steady pace in traffic. He finished the stage in 16th.
The closing stage brought a mix of progress and persistence as Custer battled changing track conditions and a tightening race car. With the team making solid adjustments between stages, his car responded better on longer runs, allowing him to regain positions and continue fighting inside the top 15. As the track rubbered up late, Custer managed a tight-handling car, staying clean through a string of late cautions. He ultimately crossed the line in 17th, capping off a disciplined effort.
“We had a lot of speed in the car this weekend. We just didn’t have a lot of race run speed we really wanted,” said Custer. “But we got a solid finish out of it. We had some great strategy. I’m really proud of how we qualified this week, the speed we brought we just need to work on what we need for the race.”
Xfinity Series
00 Sheldon Creed
Sheldon Creed entered the Martinsville Speedway playoff race with nothing to lose and everything to gain – eighth in the standings and 41 points below the cutline in the final race of the Round of Eight. From the drop of the green, the Friend’s of Jaclyn Haas Ford showed determination, climbing from fifth to fourth within the opening 15 laps. After pitting and restarting 14th mid-stage, he made a strong charge forward, picking off positions with precision and aggression to close out Stage One inside the top 10, finishing ninth.
Restarting the second stage from sixth, Creed immediately found a rhythm, hugging the bottom groove and racing hard against Connor Zilisch in a spirited side-by-side battle for fifth, a fight he ultimately won. During a mid-stage caution Creed pitted, cycling him back to 14th. Although being shuffled to the outside groove, he managed the chaos, threading through traffic and maintaining solid pace. In the closing laps, he clawed his way back into the top 10, finishing ninth for the second straight stage and setting up a strong run for the finish.
In the final stage, Creed held his ground inside the top 10 as the intensity ramped up. Multiple cautions in the closing circuits created opportunities, and Creed seized each one, climbing to sixth, then fifth, and positioning himself perfectly for a two-lap overtime sprint. With smooth restarts and calculated aggression, he powered his way to a hard-earned fourth-place finish.
“I just needed to be probably a little better. I wasn’t terrible, but I don’t know, that top four could just kind of run and my car would kind of come to me after 20 laps or so. There are really no excuses. We just needed to be a little better to maybe be in the position the 8 or the 20 were in, where restarting fourth there, I’m really surprised the 20 didn’t kind of try to push the 54 up or even the 8. I thought he was for sure gonna try. To see a Martinsville finish end like that is probably good for the series. I think guys are maturing and I feel like all of us are just trying to race each other a little better, but I just felt like the 20 or the 8 could have maybe pushed the issue a little more there.”
Though the finish was strong, Creed is no longer championship eligible but goes to Phoenix with another chance to win.
41 Sam Mayer
Sam Mayer came into Martinsville Speedway with an opportunistic challenge – seventh in the playoff standings and 22 points below the cutline in the final race of the Round of Eight. Determined, the driver of the Audibel Ford came out charging, climbing four spots in the opening six laps after starting 24th. Showing confidence in his car’s speed, Mayer chose not to pit under an early caution, gaining valuable track position and restarting fourth. The move paid off as he surged to second, then battled side-by-side with Brenden Queen for the lead. Mayer’s determination was on full display as he took control of the race before being shuffled out of the groove in the closing laps, still finishing the stage solidly in fifth.
After pitting between stages, Mayer restarted deep in the field but stayed calm and focused. The car was a bit tight, making progress through traffic challenging, but the team’s strategy once again centered on smart track-position calls. Electing to stay out under caution, Mayer restarted sixth and quickly went back on the attack. Running the low line with precision and wrapping the corners tightly, he powered his way back inside the top five, ultimately finishing fourth in Stage Two.
With everything on the line, Mayer and his team stayed in constant communication about the playoff picture and strategy needed to advance to the Championship 4. Staying out during the stage break allowed him to assume the lead, and he delivered some of his fastest laps of the night while out front. Multiple cautions in the closing laps kept the field tight, and although Mayer battled hard through an overtime finish, he ultimately crossed the line seventh. It was a valiant effort but the pursuit of a championship berth came up just a few points short.
Up Next
Phoenix Raceway (Avondale, AZ)
The Xfinity series – Saturday, November 1 at 7:30pm EST on the CW Network.
The NASCAR Cup Series – Sunday, November 2 at 3:00pm EST on NBC Sports
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.
