Cole Custer Finishes 33rd in Famed Southern 500 on Sunday Night.
By Haas Factory Team
DARLINGTON, SC (September 6, 2026) –
Cole Custer battled through 500 miles at Darlington Raceway on Sunday night, finishing 33rd in his No. 41 Sysco / Parker’s Kitchen Chevrolet.
41 Cole Custer:
Starting 16th after lightning canceled both practice and qualifying, Cole Custer battled tight handling during the opening green-flag run. The No. 41 Sysco / Parker’s Kitchen Chevrolet made its first stop under the lap-35 competition caution, taking four tires and making adjustments to the ride quality. After falling a lap down during a green-flag stop, Custer struggled with rear grip late in the run and crossed the line 31st when a caution on lap 107 ended the stage.
Custer was the only car to wave around under the stage caution and return to the lead lap, moving up to 30th for the start of Stage Two. Unable to catch another caution, he made a green-flag stop on lap 126 and returned two laps down in his Sysco / Parker’s Kitchen Chevrolet. Two more green-flag stops followed, with Custer maintaining his two-lap deficit through the end of the stage.
Custer again waved around under the stage caution to return to one lap down for the final stage. He pitted on lap 245 and regained a lap as leaders cycled through pit road, but an unfortunate timed caution put him back one lap down. Rain then forced a red flag late in the race before Custer took fresh tires on his No. 41 Sysco / Parker’s Kitchen Chevrolet. He restarted 29th with 29 laps to go, and ultimately finished 33rd over the final green-flag run.
“Everybody fought really hard, but we didn’t have the speed we wanted all day. This has been a tough track for us this year,” Custer said. “Overall, it wasn’t our day, but it was awesome having Sysco and Parker’s Kitchen on the car. I wish we could have gotten them a little bit better of a run, but it was awesome to see all those guests at the track.”
Up Next
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to World Wide Technology Raceway next Sunday, September 13th, with race coverage on USA set for 3 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.