HFT Weekend Preview: Watkins Glen International

Saturday O’Reilly Series Action:

• Date: Saturday, May 9, at 4 p.m. ET
• Track: Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY
• Race Distance: 82 laps / 200.9 miles
• Broadcast: CW | MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Sunday Cup Series Action:

• Date: Sunday, May 10, at 3 p.m. ET
• Track: Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, NY
• Race Distance: 100 laps / 245 miles
• Broadcast: FS1 | MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

On-Track Activity:

• Saturday:

• 10:30 a.m. ET – O’Reilly Practice
  CW App | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• 11:35 a.m. ET – O’Reilly Qualifying
  CW App | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• 1 p.m. ET – Cup Practice
  Prime | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• 2:10 p.m. ET – Cup Qualifying
  Prime | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
• 4 p.m. ET – O’Reilly Race
  CW | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• Sunday:

• 3 p.m. ET – Cup Race
  FS1 | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio 

• Race Weekend Quick Hits:

• NASCAR heads to New York as Watkins Glen’s 2.45-mile road course plays host to all four series this weekend.
• Sheldon Creed (477) sits second in the O’Reilly Series points standings behind only Justin Allgaier (598) and still holds the highest average finish (6.4) in the O’Reilly Series this season.
• Creed recorded his career-best ninth straight top-10 finish last weekend at Texas, and is tied with Allgaier (10) for the most top 10s in the O’Reilly Series this season.       
• Sam Mayer returns to Watkins Glen this Saturday, a track he won at in 2023 after passing Ty Gibbs on an overtime restart while driving for JR Motorsports.
• Mayer also holds O’Reilly Series road-course victories at the Road America (2023) and Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (2023, 2024).
• Cole Custer has two career NASCAR O’Reilly Series Road course wins, coming at Portland International Raceway (2023) and the Chicago Street Race (2023).

Cup Driver Lineup:

No. 41 Driver: Cole Custer

Hometown: Ladera Ranch, CA
Crew Chief: Aaron Kramer
Partner: HaasTooling.comCuster’s Watkins Glen Cup Series History:

• Starts: 4
• Wins: —
• Top-10s: —
• Poles: —

Key Numbers:

• Cole Custer makes his fifth Cup Series start at Watkins Glen International this weekend, where he owns a 22.8 average finish. His best result at the track came in 2022 when he finished 11th and led seven laps.
• His best start at The Glen was 19th in 2021, and he carries a 28.3 average starting position across four races there.
• This weekend marks his 23rd NASCAR Cup Series Road course start. His best finish in Cup Road course competition is eighth, earned in Mexico City last season. 

O’Reilly Auto Parts Driver Lineup:

No. 00 Driver: Sheldon Creed

Hometown: Alpine, CA
Crew Chief: Jonathan Toney
Partner: Ollie’s

• Creed’s Watkins Glen O’Reilly Series History:

• Starts: 4
• Wins: —
• Top-10s: 3
• Poles: —

Key Numbers:

• Sheldon Creed is set to make his fifth NASCAR O’Reilly Series start at Watkins Glen International on Saturday, where he recorded runner-up finishes in 2023 and 2024. His other top-10 at The Glen came in 2022 with an eighth-place result.
• He carries an 11.0 average starting position into the weekend, highlighted by a career-best start of ninth in 2024.
• Creed has led 85 laps on road courses in the O’Reilly Series and owns 10 career top-10 finishes across 26 starts in that discipline.

No. 41 Driver: Sam Mayer

Hometown: Franklin, WI
Crew Chief: Jason Trinchere
Partner: Audibel

• Mayer’s Watkins Glen O’Reilly Series History:

• Starts: 5
• Wins: 1 (2024)
• Top-10s: 4
• Poles: —

Key Numbers:

• Sam Mayer is set for his sixth NASCAR O’Reilly Series start at Watkins Glen this weekend. He won the event in 2023 after passing Ty Gibbs on an overtime restart while driving for JR Motorsports.
• Mayer has started inside the top 10 in each of his last four starts at The Glen and owns an 8.8 average starting position there.
• He has NOAPS road-course victories at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (2023, 2024), Watkins Glen International (2023), and Road America (2023).

HFT Texas Recap: Haas Factory Team put both cars in the top 10 at Texas in the O’Reilly Series, with Sam Mayer charging from 17th to third and Sheldon Creed finishing sixth to extend his top-10 streak to nine races. Cole Custer overcame a pit-road incident on lap 93 on Sunday, and gained a position in the closing laps after working through the final two stages to get back on track.