HFT Weekend Preview: Charlotte Motor Speedway.
By Haas Factory Team
Saturday O’Reilly Series Action:
Date: Saturday, May 23, at 5 p.m. ET
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, NC
Race Distance: 200 laps / 300 miles
Broadcast: CW | PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Sunday Cup Series Action:
Date: Sunday, May 24 at 6 p.m. ET
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, NC
Race Distance: 400 laps / 600 miles
Broadcast: Prime | PRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
On-Track Activity:
Saturday:
11 a.m. ET – O’Reilly Practice
CW App | PRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
12:05 p.m. ET – O’Reilly Qualifying
CW App | PRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
1:30 p.m. ET – Cup Practice
Prime | PRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
2:40 p.m. ET – Cup Qualifying
Prime | PRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
5 p.m. ET – O’Reilly Race
CW | PRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Sunday:
6 p.m. ET – Cup Race
Prime | PRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Race Weekend Quick Hits:
The NASCAR schedule turns to Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series is set for the famed Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday night.
This year, NASCAR Salutes begins on Memorial Day Weekend, anchored by a special tribute called “600 Miles of Remembrance” where every Cup Series car in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 will feature the name of a fallen service member on the windshield.
Sheldon Creed (504) remains second in the O’Reilly Series points standings behind only Justin Allgaier (679) and holds the second highest average finish (8.9) in the O’Reilly Series this season.
Sam Mayer matched his season-best finish last weekend at Dover with a third-place effort. It was his second top-five result in his last three starts.
Mayer earned his first career O’Reilly Series pole at Charlotte back in 2022, finishing third in that race.
Cole Custer is set to make his third NASCAR O’Reilly Series start of the season at Charlotte with Sysco and Canada Dry as the primary sponsors after starts at Las Vegas (18th) and Kansas (7th) earlier this season.
In the O’Reilly Series at Charlotte, Custer has made seven starts earning five top-10 finishes, including three top-five results.
Cup Driver Lineup:
No. 41 Driver: Cole Custer
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, CA
Crew Chief: Aaron Kramer
Partner: Sysco / Hickory Tavern
Custer’s Charlotte Cup Series History:
Starts: 5
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —
Key Numbers:
Custer will make his sixth Cup Series start at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend, where he holds an 18.6 average finish. His best result at the track came in 2020 with a 12th-place finish, and he has never finished worse than 21st at the 1.5-mile track.
He has one top-10 starting spot at Charlotte, qualifying a career-best ninth in 2020, and carries a 22.0 average starting position.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Driver Lineup:
No. 00 Driver: Sheldon Creed
Hometown: Alpine, CA
Crew Chief: Jonathan Toney
Partner: Road Ranger
Creed’s Charlotte O’Reilly Series History:
Starts: 4
Wins: —
Top-10s: 2
Poles: —
Key Numbers:
Creed is set to make his fifth O’Reilly Series start at Charlotte on Saturday, where he has recorded two career top-10 finishes. His best result came in 2022 when he finished eighth after starting 18th, and he followed that up with a 10th-place finish last season.
His best career starting position at Charlotte is seventh, in both 2023 and 2024, and he carries a 10.0 average starting position at the track.
No. 41 Driver: Sam Mayer
Hometown: Franklin, WI
Crew Chief: Jason Trinchere
Partner: Char-Broil
Mayer’s Charlotte O’Reilly Series History:
Starts: 4
Wins: —
Top-10s: 2
Poles: 1 (2022)
Key Numbers:
Mayer is in line to make his fifth O’Reilly Series start at Charlotte this weekend, where he finished 11th in last year’s race. He owns two career top-five finishes at the track and carries a 13.3 average finish.
He has started inside the top 10 twice at Charlotte, including a pole in 2022, and holds an 8.3 average starting position.
HFT Dover Recap:
In the O’Reilly Series, Sam Mayer matched his season-best finish with a third-place effort at Dover, while Sheldon Creed rebounded from a mid-race setback to finish 18th. On Sunday in the Cup Series, Cole Custer saw his day end early on lap two after being involved in a six-car incident.