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Haas Factory Team News

HFT Weekend Preview: Darlington Raceway.

Saturday O’Reilly Series Action:
  • Date: Saturday, March 21, at 5:30 p.m. ET
  • Track: Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC
  • Race Distance: 147 laps / 200.8 miles
  • Broadcast: CW | MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Sunday Cup Series Action:
  • Date: Sunday, March 22, at 3 p.m. ET
  • Track: Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC
  • Race Distance: 293 laps / 400.23 miles
  • Broadcast: FS1 | MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
On-Track Activity:Saturday:
  • 12 p.m. ET – O’Reilly Practice
    CW App | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
  • 1:05 p.m. ET – O’Reilly Qualifying
    CW App | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
  • 2:30 p.m. ET – Cup Practice
    Prime | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
  • 3:40 p.m. ET – Cup Qualifying
    Prime | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
  • 5:30 p.m. ET – O’Reilly Race
    CW | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Sunday:
  • 3 p.m. ET – Cup Race
    FS1 | PRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Race Weekend Quick Hits:
  • Darlington Raceway, the track dubbed ‘Too Tough to Tame’, hosts the sixth race on the NASCAR Cup/O’Reilly Series schedule this weekend.
  • Sheldon Creed (188) gained one spot and sits fourth in the O’Reilly Series points standings after five races, behind Austin Hill (208), Jesse Love (224) and Justin Allgaier (237).
    • Creed recorded his second consecutive, and third top-five finish of the season last weekend at Las Vegas and holds the third highest average finish (8.6) in the O’Reilly Series this season.
  • Sam Mayer is the only driver in the O’Reilly Series to lead a lap in every race so far this season and holds the highest average starting position (5.0) through five races.
    • Mayer also secured his second O’Reilly Series pole of the second this season last weekend at Las Vegas, becoming the first driver in the Series with two poles in the first five races since Cole Custer (2024).
Cup Driver Lineup:No. 41 Driver: Cole Custer
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, CA
Crew Chief: Aaron Kramer
Partner: HaasTooling.comCuster’s Darlington Cup Series History:
  • Starts: 9
  • Wins: –
  • Top-10s: –
  • Poles: –
Key Numbers:
  • Custer makes his 10th Cup start at Darlington this weekend where he has a 22.0 average finish.
  • He has started inside the top 15 twice with a career-best of P14 in 2020. Custer holds an average starting position of 23.6.
  • Custer has finished top 10 in all seven career NXS events at Darlington, including a victory in 2019 after starting P3, posting an average finish of 3.4.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Driver Lineup:No. 00 Driver: Sheldon Creed
Hometown: Alpine, CA
Crew Chief: Jonathan Toney
Partner: Ollie’sCreed’s Darlington O’Reilly Series History:
  • Starts: 7
  • Wins: –
  • Top-10s: 5
  • Poles: –
Key Numbers:
  • Creed is set to make his eighth O’Reilly Series start at Darlington on Saturday, where he has four straight top-10 finishes.
  • His best finish came in the fall of 2022 when he led 47 laps and placed second behind Noah Gragson. Last season, he finished 10th in the spring.
  • He has started inside the top-10 in five of his seven career races at Darlington and holds an average starting position of 7.3.
No. 41 Driver: Sam Mayer
Hometown: Franklin, WI
Crew Chief: Jason Trinchere
Partner: AudibelMayer’s Darlington O’Reilly Series History:
  • Starts: 8
  • Wins: –
  • Top-10s: 3
  • Poles: –
Key Numbers:
  • Mayer is in line for his ninth O’Reilly Series start at Darlington this weekend, a track where he has finished in the top 10 three times, including two in the top five.
  • He has started inside the top 10 in five consecutive starts, including the last two in the top five, and boasts an average starting position of 6.6.
HFT Las Vegas Recap: Sheldon Creed powered his No. 00 Ollie’s Chevrolet to a third-place finish in Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, marking his third top-five result of the season for Haas Factory Team. Teammate Sam Mayer started from the pole and led 32 laps before an early mechanical issue derailed his strong run, while Cole Custer pulled double duty during the weekend, competing in both the O’Reilly Series and the NASCAR Cup Series events.