Cole Custer Caps Off Strong Weekend at the Brickyard with a 13th-Place Finish.
By Haas Factory Team
SPEEDWAY, IN (July 26, 2026) – Cole Custer converted a season-best qualifying effort into his second-best finish of the season on Sunday afternoon at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, using fuel strategy to earn a 13th-place result in the No. 41 Haas/Standard Nuclear Chevrolet.
41 Cole Custer:
Posting his best qualifying effort of the season on Saturday afternoon, Cole Custer rolled off 12th at Indianapolis. Custer settled into 11th early while managing a loose-handling No. 41 Haas/Standard Nuclear Chevrolet and saving fuel through the opening stage. As green-flag pit stops began, Custer climbed as high as fifth before making his stop on lap 39, cycling back to 21st. A caution on lap 45 reset the field for a two-lap sprint to end Stage One, with Custer finishing 13th, just outside of stage points.
After gaining a row on the choose, Custer restarted 10th for Stage Two and quickly settled into line in eighth. Continuing the team's fuel-saving strategy, the No. 41 Haas/Standard Nuclear Chevrolet made its second green-flag stop on lap 87 before another caution on lap 96 brought the segment to an early end. As the field cycled through pit strategy, Custer was scored 15th at the end of Stage Two.
Lining up 13th for the final stage, Custer gained a position on the restart before a caution on lap 115 allowed the No. 41 team to make its final four-tire stop with enough fuel to reach the finish. Custer maintained his track position through one final restart and brought the No. 41 Haas/Standard Nuclear Chevrolet home 13th to cap off a strong weekend.
“We qualified good and brought a really fast Haas/Standard Nuclear Chevrolet this weekend. Everyone executed good all afternoon, and we made the most of the day,” Custer said. “It’s good to head into an off weekend like that, and it was awesome to have Standard Nuclear on the car for the first time and get them a good run.”
Up Next: The NASCAR Cup Series takes next weekend off before heading to Iowa Speedway on Sunday, August 9th, with race coverage on USA 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.