HFT Weekend Preview: Talladega Superspeedway

Saturday O’Reilly Series Action:

• Date: Saturday, April 25, at 4 p.m. ET
• Track: Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, AL
• Race Distance: 113 laps / 300.58 miles
• Broadcast: CW | MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio 

Sunday Cup Series Action:

• Date: Sunday, April 26, at 3 p.m. ET
• Track: Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, AL
• Race Distance: 188 laps / 500.08 miles
• Broadcast: FOX | MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
  

Autograph Sessions: (Saturday, April 25th - Local Times)

• Cole Custer: 12:00-12:15 PM (HFT Merch Rig - Local Time)
• Sam Mayer & Sheldon Creed: 1:15-1-45 PM (HFT Merch Rig - Local Time)

On-Track Activity:

• Friday:

• 5:30 p.m. ET – O’Reilly Qualifying
  CW App | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• Saturday:

• 10:30 a.m. ET – Cup Qualifying
  Prime | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• 4 p.m. ET – O’Reilly Race
  CW | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• Sunday:

• 3 p.m. ET – Cup Race
  FOX | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Race Weekend Quick Hits:

• Talladega hosts its first of two race dates this weekend as NASCAR embarks on its third Superspeedway race of the 2026 season.
• Sheldon Creed (389) remains second in the O’Reilly Series points standings behind only Justin Allgaier (520) and holds the second highest average finish (6.8) in the O’Reilly Series this season.
• Creed recorded his career-best seventh straight top-10 finish last weekend at Kansas, and fifth top-five result of the season which is the second most in the O’ Reilly Series.
• Creed also captured the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus last Saturday at Kansas as the highest finisher among the four eligible drivers, and will have another shot at the bonus this weekend at Talladega along with Allgaier, Taylor Gray and Jesse Love.

• Sam Mayer holds the second highest average starting position (7.3) through the first 10 races in the O’Reilly Series and recorded his fourth top 10 of the season last weekend at Kansas.
• Cole Custer has led laps in four of his eight career Cup Series starts at Talladega and finished a career-best fifth in last season’s fall race.
  

Cup Driver Lineup:

• No. 41 Driver: Cole Custer

Hometown: Ladera Ranch, CA
Crew Chief: Aaron Kramer
Partner: Haas / Autodesk

Custer’s Talladega Cup Series History:

• Starts: 8
• Wins: —
• Top-10s: 2
• Poles: —
  

Key Numbers:

• Custer makes his ninth Cup Series start at Talladega this weekend, where he has an 18.0 average finish, and finished a career-best fifth last fall. His other top-10 finish came in the spring of 2021 when he finished 10th.
• He qualified 12th in both races last season and boasts a 22.8 average starting position.
• Custer has also made six O’Reilly Series starts at Talladega, including three top-10 finishes. 

O’Reilly Auto Parts Driver Lineup:

• No. 00 Driver: Sheldon Creed

Hometown: Alpine, CA
Crew Chief: Jonathan Toney
Partner: Ollie’s

Creed’s Talladega O’Reilly Series History:

• Starts: 7
• Wins: —
• Top-10s: 4
• Poles: —
  

Key Numbers:

• Creed is set to make his eighth O’Reilly Series start at Talladega on Saturday, where he has four career top-10 finishes. His best finish came in the spring of 2023 when he finished second and led 11 laps.
• He has started inside the top 10 in five of his seven career starts at Talladega, and he boasts an average starting position of 7.1.
• Last year, Creed led nine laps and finished ninth in the spring race, while a crash on lap 15 ended his fall effort early.
  

• No. 41 Driver: Sam Mayer

Hometown: Franklin, WI
Crew Chief: Jason Trinchere
Partner: Audibel

Mayer’s Talladega O’Reilly Series History:

• Starts: 8
• Wins: —
• Top-10s: 1
• Poles: —
  

Key Numbers:

• Mayer is in line for his ninth O’Reilly Series start at Talladega this weekend, a track where he has finished in the top 10 one time, a P2 finish in the fall of 2022.
• His best career starting position is 12th, which he has done twice (2021 & 2024), and he holds an average qualifying effort of 16.1.
• Mayer drove from 34th to 14th in the spring race last season at Talladega and was involved in an incident on lap 15 later that fall that ended his day. 

HFT Kansas Recap: Sheldon Creed finished second at Kansas Speedway and earned the $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus, while Cole Custer (seventh) and Sam Mayer (ninth) completed a strong showing with three top-10 finishes in the O’Reilly Series race. In Sunday’s Cup Series race, Custer overcame tire strategy challenges, long green-flag runs, and an overtime restart to bring home a 25th-place result.