HFT Weekend Preview: Chicagoland Speedway.
By Haas Factory Team
Saturday O’Reilly Series Action:
Date: Saturday, July 4th at 5:30 p.m. ET
Track: Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, IL
Race Distance: 200 laps / 300 miles
Broadcast: CW | MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Sunday Cup Series Action:
Date: Sunday, July 5th at 6 p.m. ET
Track: Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, IL
Race Distance: 267 laps / 400 miles
Broadcast: TNT | MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
On-Track Activity:
Friday:
4:30 p.m. ET – O’Reilly Practice
CW App | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
6 p.m. ET – Cup Practice
TruTV | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Saturday:
1:30 p.m. ET – O’Reilly Qualifying
CW App | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
3 p.m. ET – Cup Qualifying
TruTV | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
5:30 p.m. ET – O’Reilly Race
CW | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Sunday:
6 p.m. ET – Cup Race
TNT | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Race Weekend Quick Hits:
Chicagoland Speedway returns to the NASCAR schedule over Fourth of July weekend for the first time since 2019.
Sheldon Creed (642 points) enters the weekend fourth in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings, trailing only Corey Day (645), Jesse Love (651), and Justin Allgaier (858). Creed owns the second-best average finish in the series this season (9.9) and recorded his third straight top-10 finish last weekend at Sonoma.
Sam Mayer has finished inside the top 10 in three of his last four starts and makes his debut at Chicagoland this weekend. Mayer sits 10th in the O’Reilly Series standings and 38 points above the cutline with five races remaining before The Chase.
Cole Custer will make his fifth and final O’Reilly Series start this season at Chicagoland with Sysco as the primary sponsor. Custer won at Chicagoland back in 2019 in the O’Reilly Series, leading a dominant 151 of 200 laps for his fourth of seven wins that season.
Cup Driver Lineup:
No. 41 Driver: Cole Custer
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, CA
Crew Chief: Aaron Kramer
Partner: Haas / Andy’s Frozen Custard
Key Numbers:
Custer is set to make his first career Cup Series start at Chicagoland this Sunday and his first start at the track since 2019, when he dominated the O’Reilly Series race by leading 151 laps en route to victory. In three career O’Reilly Series starts at Chicagoland, Custer has led an impressive 192 laps and recorded top-10 finishes in every race. He also finished ninth in his lone Truck Series start at the track in 2016 after starting 17th.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Driver Lineup:
No. 00 Driver: Sheldon Creed
Hometown: Alpine, CA
Crew Chief: Jonathan Toney
Partner: Road Ranger/USA 250
Key Numbers:
Sheldon Creed will make his first O’Reilly Series start at Chicagoland on Saturday after finishing 11th and leading two laps in his lone Truck Series start at the 1.5-mile track in 2019. He also owns two ARCA Menards Series starts at Chicagoland, highlighted by a runner-up finish from the pole in 2018.
No. 41 Driver: Sam Mayer
Hometown: Franklin, WI
Crew Chief: Jason Trinchere
Partner: Audibel/USA 250
Key Numbers: Mayer will make his Chicagoland debut this weekend, marking his first start at the 1.5-mile track across all three NASCAR national series.
HFT Sonoma Recap: Haas Factory Team put both of its cars inside the top 10 at Sonoma in the O’Reilly Series, as Sam Mayer used a late-race charge to finish eighth while Sheldon Creed delivered his third straight top-10 finish. Cole Custer used strategy during Sunday’s Cup Series race to earn a 20th-place finish at Sonoma, his fourth in the last seven races.