Cole Custer
Cole Matthew Custer (born January 23, 1998) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 41 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Haas Factory Team, and he is the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion. Over the course of his career, Custer has built a reputation as a versatile competitor who has posted victories in each of NASCAR’s three national touring series.
Early Life and Background
Cole Matthew Custer was born on January 23, 1998, in Ladera Ranch, California. He grew up in a household steeped in motorsports, the son of Joe Custer, who serves as the team president of Haas Factory Team and as chief operating officer of Haas F1 Team. That family connection gave Custer a clear view of professional racing from a young age and shaped his early ambitions behind the wheel.
Custer began racing quarter midgets at the age of four, learning the basics of car control and race craft on small ovals. In 2011, he won the USAC National Focus Young Guns Championship, signaling his potential as a young talent. The following year, Custer moved into late models, where he won ten races and earned Rookie of the Year honors. He attended Ladera Ranch Middle School and Tesoro High School in his hometown, balancing his education with an increasingly busy racing schedule.
Path to NASCAR
Custer’s progression through the NASCAR ladder began in the developmental K&N Pro Series. In 2013, he joined the K&N Pro Series East with Ken Schrader Racing, making his debut at Bristol Motor Speedway. At Iowa Speedway that same year, Custer won the pole, led every lap, and became the youngest race winner in K&N Pro Series history at fifteen years old, surpassing a record previously held by Dylan Kwasniewski. He followed that win with another victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and finished eighth in the series standings.
In 2014, Custer opened the K&N Pro Series West season with a win at Phoenix International Raceway, holding off Greg Pursley and Brennan Newberry on a green-white-checkered finish. That same year, he entered the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with Haas Racing Development, running a partial schedule. He quickly established himself as a rising star, becoming the youngest pole winner in NASCAR history during qualifying at Gateway Motorsports Park.
Cole Custer Career
Early Career (2013-2014)
Custer’s first sustained NASCAR involvement came in 2013 in the ARCA Menards Series East, where he earned his first series victory at Iowa Speedway. He won again the following year at Richmond, posting three total ARCA East wins and three poles. That success in the ARCA ladder gave him the experience needed to step up to the national touring series.
He also made a single ARCA Menards Series West start in 2013 at Stockton before returning in 2014 to win the season opener at Phoenix. Across these early developmental seasons, Custer earned a reputation for speed, qualifying skill, and composure well beyond his age, all of which positioned him for a rapid rise through the ranks.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2014-2016)
Custer debuted in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2014 at Martinsville Speedway with Haas Racing Development. His breakthrough came on September 20, 2014, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where he won the UNOH 175 from the pole. At sixteen years, seven months, and twenty-eight days old, Custer became the youngest winner in the history of NASCAR’s national touring series, a record that still stands.
In 2015, he moved to JR Motorsports for a ten-race Truck schedule and added a second victory at Gateway Motorsports Park. When he turned eighteen in 2016, JR Motorsports fielded the No. 00 truck for him full-time, and he competed for Rookie of the Year honors. Across his Truck Series career, Custer posted two wins, twenty-four top-ten finishes, and five poles, and he finished a career-best tenth in the series standings in 2016.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2016-2019, 2022-2024)
Custer made his Xfinity Series debut in 2016 at Richmond International Raceway with JR Motorsports, then moved to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2017, driving the No. 00 Ford Mustang with Haas Automation as the primary sponsor. That season, he earned his first Xfinity victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway, leading the most laps, winning both stages, and fending off Daniel Hemric in a tight battle for the Championship Four.
Custer added more wins in 2018 and 2019, with the 2019 season standing out as his strongest at that point. He won at Fontana, Richmond, Pocono, Chicago, Kentucky, and Dover that year, and was declared the official winner at Darlington after Denny Hamlin was disqualified in post-race inspection. He closed 2019 second in points after a tight duel with Tyler Reddick at Homestead.
After spending 2020 and 2021 full-time in the Cup Series, Custer returned to the Xfinity Series in 2022 with SS-Green Light Racing in a collaboration with Stewart-Haas Racing, winning at Auto Club Speedway. In 2023, he won at Portland and on a rain-shortened Chicago street course, then clinched both his own and Stewart-Haas Racing’s first Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix Raceway, holding off Justin Allgaier and John Hunter Nemechek on an overtime restart. He added the Xfinity Series Regular Season Championship in 2024 along with wins at Pocono and Bristol. Over his Xfinity career, Custer has recorded 15 wins, 121 top-ten finishes, and 21 poles.
NASCAR Cup Series Stint (2018-2022, 2025-Present)
Custer made his Cup Series debut in March 2018 with Rick Ware Racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the Pennzoil 400. On November 15, 2019, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that Custer would replace Daniel Suarez in the No. 41 Ford for 2020. He won his first Cup race in the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, passing Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., and Ryan Blaney on the final lap to become the first rookie to win in the Cup Series since Chris Buescher in 2016. He made the 2020 Playoffs, was eliminated after the first round at Bristol, finished sixteenth in points, and was named the 2020 Sunoco Rookie of the Year. He remained with Stewart-Haas Racing for 2021 and 2022, though results were inconsistent across those seasons.
Haas Factory Team Era (2025-Present)
On July 20, 2024, Custer announced his return to the Cup Series in 2025 with the No. 41 of Haas Factory Team, a reorganization of Stewart-Haas Racing. He opened the 2025 season with a 21st-place finish at the Daytona 500. Through the season, his top results included eighth at Mexico, fourth at the summer Daytona race, and fifth at the fall Talladega race, his only top-ten finishes of the year.
Driving Style and Strengths
Custer has long been recognized for his qualifying speed and his ability to capitalize on late-race restarts. His strengths include short-run pace, aggressive yet calculated moves in traffic, and a comfort level on a variety of track types, from intermediate ovals to road courses and street circuits. His partnership with his crew chief has emphasized track position and clean pit work, allowing him to maximize the performance of his equipment.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments in Custer’s career include his 2014 Truck Series win at New Hampshire, which made him the youngest winner in NASCAR national series history, his first Xfinity Series win at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2017, his 2020 Cup Series victory at Kentucky Speedway, and his 2023 Xfinity Series championship-clinching run at Phoenix. He has also added memorable wins at Darlington, Bristol, and the Chicago street course.
Cole Custer Career Wins
Cole Custer has won races in each of NASCAR’s three national touring series, a feat achieved by only a small group of full-time drivers. His career victory total stands at 18 across the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, and the Craftsman Truck Series, supported by additional wins in the ARCA Menards Series and the K&N Pro Series ladder.
NASCAR Cup Series Highlights
Custer’s lone Cup Series victory came in the 2020 Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway, a dramatic last-lap pass that made him the first Cup rookie winner since Chris Buescher in 2016. Across his Cup career, he has recorded one win, fifteen top-ten finishes, and one pole, with a best points finish of sixteenth in 2020.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Highlights
Custer is the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion and the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Regular Season Champion. He owns 15 career Xfinity Series wins, 121 top-ten finishes, and 21 poles. His first Xfinity victory came at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2017, and his most recent came at Bristol in 2024. He reached the Championship Four in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, and 2024.
Other Wins and Performances
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Custer is a two-time winner, with victories at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2014 and at Gateway Motorsports Park in 2015. In the ARCA Menards Series East, he posted three wins, and in the ARCA Menards Series West, he added one win at Phoenix in 2014. He also won the 2011 USAC National Focus Young Guns Championship.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | 1 | 15 | 1 |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | 15 | 121 | 21 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 2 | 24 | 5 |
| ARCA Menards Series East | 3 | 10 | 3 |
| ARCA Menards Series West | 1 | 6 | 2 |
Cole Custer Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Cole Custer is the son of Joe Custer, a longtime motorsports executive who serves as team president of Haas Factory Team and as chief operating officer of Haas F1 Team. The Haas family connection, including team co-owner Gene Haas through Haas Automation, has been a defining element of Cole’s racing career, providing resources, equipment, and mentorship from a young age.
Personal Life
Cole Custer is married to Kari Custer. In July 2024, Kari gave birth to a son, expanding the Custer family. The family has continued to be based around the NASCAR circuit as Cole balances his Cup Series duties at Haas Factory Team with time at home.
2025 Season Performance
Custer’s 2025 season marked his return to the NASCAR Cup Series full-time with Haas Factory Team, driving the No. 41 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 after the team emerged from the reorganization of Stewart-Haas Racing. His campaign got off to a difficult start, with a 21st-place finish at the Daytona 500, and the season remained a grind as the team worked to find consistency.
Highlights were limited but notable. Custer’s only top-ten finishes through the year were eighth at Mexico, fourth at the summer Daytona race, and fifth at the fall Talladega race. Those results, especially the run at Mexico and the summer Daytona plate race, showed flashes of the speed that had defined his earlier Xfinity Series success.
Heading into the offseason, the focus for Custer and Haas Factory Team is on building momentum and translating qualifying pace into race-day results. With the foundation of a championship pedigree in the Xfinity Series and continued support from his family’s deep ties to Haas, Custer will look to re-establish himself as a weekly contender in the Cup Series in the seasons ahead.
