HFT Weekend Preview: Darlington Raceway
By Haas Factory Team
Saturday O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Action:
Date: Saturday, September 5th at 7:30 p.m. ET
Track: Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC
Race Distance: 147 laps / 200 miles
Broadcast: CW | MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Sunday Cup Series Action:
Date: Sunday, September 6th at 5 p.m. ET
Track: Darlington Raceway, Darlington, SC
Race Distance: 367 laps / 501.32 miles
Broadcast: USA | MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
On-Track Activity:
Saturday:
1:30 p.m. ET – O’Reilly Practice
CW App | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
2:35 p.m. ET – O’Reilly Qualifying
CW App | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
4 p.m. ET – Cup Practice
TruTV | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
5:10 p.m. ET – Cup Qualifying
TruTV | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
7:30 p.m. ET – O’Reilly Race
CW | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Sunday:
5 p.m. ET – Cup Race
USA | MRN & SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Race Weekend Quick Hits:
- The Chase begins this weekend at Darlington Raceway for both the NASCAR Cup Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
- It marks the 76th annual running of the Southern 500 for the Cup Series at Darlington.
- Sheldon Creed (2065) enters the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase as the third seed in the points standings, trailing only Carson Kvapil (2075) and Justin Allgaier (2100).
- This marks Creed’s fourth consecutive season qualifying for the Chase, while he ranks second in the NOAPS in average finish (10.5), top-five finishes (9) and top-10s (16) this season.
- Sam Mayer enters the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase as the 10th seed after clinching his spot in last weekend’s regular-season finale at Daytona, marking his fifth consecutive Chase appearance.
- Mayer has led laps in three of his last four starts and owns a 6.6 average starting position at Darlington, his third-best mark at any track with a minimum of four starts.
- Cole Custer earned a season-best 10th place finish last weekend at Daytona, marking his first top-10 result of the season.
Cup Driver Lineup:
No. 41 Driver: Cole Custer
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, CA
Crew Chief: Aaron Kramer
Partner: Sysco / Parker’s Kitchen
Custer’s Darlington Cup Series History:
Starts: 10
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —
Key Numbers:
- Custer makes his 11th Cup Series start at Darlington on Sunday night, where he has a 22.6 average finish.
- He has qualified inside the top 15 twice, with a career-best starting position of 14th in 2020, and carries a 24.7 average starting spot.
- In seven NOAPS starts at Darlington, Custer owns a 3.4 average finish with seven top-10 finishes, including a victory in 2019 after starting third.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Driver Lineup:
No. 00 Driver: Sheldon Creed
Hometown: Alpine, CA
Crew Chief: Jonathan Toney
Partner: Ollie’s
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase Standings: 3rd
Creed’s Darlington O’Reilly Auto Parts Series History:
Starts: 8
Wins: —
Top-10s: 6
Poles: —
Key Numbers:
- Creed is set to make his ninth O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start at Darlington on Saturday, where he enters with five consecutive top-10 finishes.
- His best Darlington finish came in the fall of 2022, when he led 47 laps before finishing second to Noah Gragson. Earlier this spring, he added another top-10 finish with a seventh-place result.
- He has qualified inside the top 10 in five of his eight career Darlington starts and owns an impressive 8.0 average starting position.
- Creed is a two-time Craftsman Truck Series winner at Darlington, sweeping both events in 2021.
No. 41 Driver: Sam Mayer
Hometown: Franklin, WI
Crew Chief: Jason Trinchere
Partner: Starkey
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase Standings: 10th
Mayer’s Darlington O’Reilly Auto Parts Series History:
Starts: 9
Wins: —
Top-10s: 4
Poles: —
Key Numbers:
- Mayer is set to make his 10th NOAPS start at Darlington this weekend, where he owns four top-10 finishes, including a pair of top fives.
- He has qualified inside the top 10 in six of his nine Darlington starts and carries a strong 6.6 average starting position into the race.
HFT Daytona Recap:
Sam Mayer used a productive day to lock himself into the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase as the 10th seed at Daytona, while Sheldon Creed capped off his regular season with his 16th top-10 finish and the third seed heading into the Chase. On Saturday, Cole Custer’s fuel-saving strategy allowed him to make a final push on the last lap and secure a season-best 10th-place finish at Daytona.