Cole Custer Brings Home Top-20 Finish in Cup Series at Sonoma.
By Haas Factory Team
SONOMA, CA (June 28, 2026) – Despite battling rear grip issues throughout the race, Cole Custer and the No. 41 team used strategy to recover from an early setback and earn a 20th-place finish at Sonoma Raceway.
41 Cole Custer: Showing strong pace in practice, Cole Custer overcame handling challenges in his No. 41 Haas/Autodesk Chevrolet to finish 20th in Sunday’s Cup Series race at Sonoma. Starting 27th, Custer dropped as far back as 31st while battling a lack of rear grip before the team used a green-flag pit stop on lap 21 to gain track position through strategy.
The strategy moved Custer back inside the top 20, but rear grip issues persisted throughout the second stage. However, the No. 41 team remained committed to its strategy, staying out until lap 52 before making additional handling adjustments during another green-flag stop. Custer rejoined in 31st and ended Stage Two in 30th before the stage caution cycled the No. 41 Haas/Autodesk Chevrolet further ahead.
Restarting 17th for the final segment, Custer raced inside the top 20 for much of the closing run as the car's balance improved. After his final green-flag stop on lap 79, he cycled back to 18th and remained in contention before taking the checkered flag in 20th. The finish marked Custer's fourth top-20 result in his last seven races.
“Our guys worked hard to make the car better throughout the race and we came home with a solid day. We’re absolutely building on our road course package but just need to take that next step forward” Custer said. “Thank you to everyone at Autodesk, HaasTooling.com and Sysco for their support this season.”
Up Next: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Chicagoland Speedway next Sunday, July 5th, with race coverage on TNT set for 6 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.