Custer’s Promising Day Ends Early in Multi-Car Incident at Talladega.

TALLADEGA, AL (April 26, 2026) – Cole Custer showed promising speed and worked his way into contention on Sunday before a multi-car incident cut short a promising run for the No. 41 Haas/Autodesk Chevrolet.

• 41 Cole Custer

Cole Custer rolled off 27th based on the metric after rain washed out Saturday’s scheduled qualifying session. He methodically worked his way forward during the extended opening stage, keeping the car in the lead draft and pitting from inside the top 15 on lap 47. A pair of green-flag pit stops shuffled him back in the order, but Custer continued charging toward the front and stayed within striking distance of the leaders. However, he ultimately crossed the line 13th at the end of Stage One, just outside of stage points.
Following a strong stop under the stage caution, Custer restarted third and quickly found himself in the mix for the race lead. As he made a move to the outside lane to challenge up front, a multi-car incident erupted ahead, collecting the No. 41 Haas/Autodesk Chevrolet and sending it to the garage with significant damage. Custer’s day came to an early end on lap 115, resulting in a disappointing finish after a promising run inside the top five.“We were trying to bide our time, but it seemed like the 23 came up pretty fast there, and I didn’t have very many options at that point,” Custer said. “I hate it for our team because our Haas/Autodesk Chevrolet was super fast all day today, but we’ll move on to Texas and hopefully put together a solid day.”

• Up Next
  

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway next Sunday, May 3rd, with race coverage on FS1 set for 3:30 p.m. ET.

• About Haas Factory Team:

Haas Factory Team is a NASCAR Cup and O'Reilly Auto Parts Series program owned by Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation. New in 2026, Haas Factory will align with Chevrolet. As part of the manufacturer switch, HFT will have a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, which will include using Hendrick-built engines across both series. The team will feature Cole Custer driving the No. 41 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series, while Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer take on the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in the No. 00 and No. 41 Chevrolet Camaros, 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.