Cole Custer Earns Season-Best 10th-Place Finish at Daytona.
By Haas Factory Team
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (August 29, 2026) –
Cole Custer’s fuel-saving strategy throughout the night kept the No. 41 Standard Nuclear Chevrolet in position late, allowing him to make a final push and secure a 10th-place finish at Daytona on Saturday night for his first top-10 result of the season.
41 Cole Custer:
Cole Custer rolled off 16th at Daytona as the No. 41 Standard Nuclear Chevrolet quickly shifted to a fuel-saving strategy, dropping to the rear to conserve fuel. After falling off the pack, Custer coasted to the end of Stage One to set himself up for a shorter pit stop at the stage break.
Custer restarted outside the top 20 after several cars came back to pit for fuel under the stage caution. Continuing to save fuel through most of Stage Two, Custer fell back midway through the stage before surging as high as 14th as the field picked up speed and both lanes made runs. He crossed the line 31st in the No. 41 Standard Nuclear Chevrolet to end the stage.
After making minor handling adjustments to loosen the car, Custer restarted 11th in his No. 41 Standard Nuclear Chevrolet as another wave of cars pitted for fuel. He settled into the three-wide pack before making his final scheduled stop with several Chevrolet teams, giving him enough fuel to run full throttle to the finish. The six-car group gained as much as two seconds per lap before the pace slowed, and a lap-154 caution set up overtime.
Restarting 18th with no fuel concerns, Custer used the middle lane, receiving a late push that carried the No. 41 Standard Nuclear Chevrolet into the top 10. A spin from the top lane narrowly missed Custer, who surged to a 10th-place finish marking his best result of the season.
“Tonight was a solid night from our group. We went into it feeling out what this new package was and keeping ourselves in the game, and we executed well,” Custer said. “There was some good strategy at the end from Aaron, and the car drove well all night. Huge thank you to Standard Nuclear, Chevrolet and Haas Automation.”
Up Next:
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway next Sunday, September 6th, with race coverage on USA set for 5 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.