Cole Custer Shows Speed in Cup Series Return to Chicagoland Speedway.
By Haas Factory Team
JOLIET, IL (July 5, 2026) – Cole Custer battled a tight-handling No. 41 Haas/Andy's Chevrolet and late-race clutch issues to finish 31st in Sunday's Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway.
41 Cole Custer:
After earning a top-10 finish in Saturday’s rain-delayed O’Reilly Series race, Cole Custer returned to the track Sunday in the No. 41 Haas/Andy’s Chevrolet. Early cautions gave the team an opportunity to make handling adjustments after the opening run, but Custer battled a tight-handling race car throughout the opening stage and finished Stage One in 29th.
The No. 41 showed improved speed in Stage Two as Custer stayed with the lead pack throughout a long green-flag run. Stretching his fuel window put him as high as fifth before a caution on lap 134 reset the field. After restarting 13th, a lack of grip shuffled Custer back, though he remained inside the top 20 until the closing laps of the stage before taking the green-and-white checkered flag in 24th.
Custer found his best pace during the race’s longest green-flag run, charging from 29th into the top three before making his final scheduled pit stop on lap 221. An untimely cycle through pit road put him a lap down, and despite battling to regain position while managing late-race clutch issues, Custer brought the No. 41 Haas/Andy’s Chevrolet home 31st.
“Everyone fought hard all weekend, and I thought we had a solid car at times but couldn’t put it all together throughout the whole race. It seemed like the track changed a lot all weekend,” Custer said. “I feel we can build on it going forward, so I appreciate everyone at Haas Factory Team and Andy’s for making this all happen.”
Up Next: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to EchoPark Speedway next Sunday, July 12th, with race coverage on TNT set for 7 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.