Cole Custer 2026 Season Report Card: A Talladega 5th and a D
Welcome to the Happy Hour Racing 2026 Season Report Cards, where every full-time Cup Series driver gets a grade computed from every race they ran, not opinion. Next up: the number 41 of Haas Factory Team.
The Short Version
Cole Custer's 2026 season was the first for Haas Factory Team as a Chevrolet team. He started all 36 races in the No. 41, finished 32nd in points and ran his best race of the year at Talladega in October, where he came home 5th. That was his only top 5, and he had just two top 10s. The full year grades out to a D, 32nd of 35 full-time drivers.
Why the Cole Custer 2026 Grade Is a D
Every HHR report card grade comes from the same math. After every race, each driver gets a score out of 100 based on where they finished in the field, how many spots they gained or lost from the start, how many laps they led, and a penalty for not finishing. The season grade is the average of all 36 race scores, curved against the 35 drivers who ran the full year.
Custer's season score ranked 32nd of 35, which lands at D. He was not wrecking or breaking much: only two DNFs, 3rd best in the field. The problem was where he finished when he did make it to the end. His average finish was 24.7, and nine of his 36 finishes were 30th or worse.
Cole Custer by the Numbers
Here is where Custer ranked among the 35 full-time drivers in 14 stats. The bar and the circle show his rank (1 is best). The number on the right is the actual stat.
The consistency side of the card is the good side. Two DNFs ranked 3rd, his finish spread ranked 8th, and he gained an average of 0.4 spots per race, 17th. When the No. 41 started a race, it usually finished it, and usually close to where it started.
The speed side is where the D comes from. His average running position was 25.8 (32nd), he spent 9 percent of his laps inside the top 15 (33rd), and his 48.0 average driver rating ranked 33rd. He led 3 laps all season, 1 at Las Vegas in March and 2 at Chicagoland in July. He started 25th on average, so most weekends began deep in the field and stayed there.
A Bad Spring, Then a Better Summer
The first 11 races were the worst stretch of his year. Custer averaged a 29.3 finish through Texas in early May. A radiator issue ended his day at Phoenix in March, and the spring Talladega race on April 26 ended early in a multi-car crash after what Haas Factory Team called a promising run. He followed that with a 35th at Texas.
Then the road course at Watkins Glen turned it around. Custer finished 15th there, 16th in the Coca-Cola 600 and 12th at Michigan in June. Over the last 25 races his average finish was 22.6, almost seven spots better than the opening stretch. His best run of the regular season came in the August Daytona race, 10th from a 16th-place start. Aaron Kramer was his crew chief for all 36 races.
The Best of the Year
- Talladega, Oct. 25: started 20th, finished 5th. The same result he posted in the fall Talladega race in 2025.
- Daytona, Aug. 29: started 16th, finished 10th.
- World Wide Technology Raceway, Sept. 13: started 26th, finished 11th.
- Michigan, June 7: started 15th, finished 12th.
Two of the three best finishes came in the draft. At Daytona, Talladega and Atlanta, Custer averaged a 19.3 finish. Everywhere else he averaged 25.7. The Chase stretch was flat at a 24.9 average, with the Talladega 5th sitting between a 34th at Martinsville and a 33rd at Darlington.
What 2027 Looks Like
Custer is coming back. Haas Factory Team announced on Oct. 9 that he will return for a third straight season in the No. 41 Chevrolet. Every ride and crew chief change for next year is on our 2027 silly season tracker.
The season starts at the Clash at Daytona on Feb. 13, then the Daytona 500 on Feb. 21 at 2:30 PM ET on FOX. Start times and channels for every race are on our race TV guide.
The second year with Chevrolet power is the test. If the No. 41 can start races in the 15 to 20 range instead of the mid-20s, Custer's low DNF count turns into real finishes. Every other driver's grade is on the 2026 report cards page.
The Bottom Line
Custer finished races. He just did not finish them up front often enough. The D is the grade of a car that was steady and slow, and a Talladega 5th shows what it looks like when the draft evens the field.
Gear Up for Daytona
Custer's best runs came in the draft, and the 2027 season starts at Daytona. We do not have Custer gear in stock right now, but the Daytona 500 gear is here, and the newest arrivals land every week.
- 2026 Daytona 500 Trophy Logo T-Shirt
- 2026 Daytona 500 Trophy Black Hat
- 2026 Daytona 500 True Timber Camo Hat
- NASCAR Fan Cap Subscription
Sources: NASCAR official race results and loop data for all 36 2026 points races; Chevrolet switch, spring Talladega crash and 2025 Talladega result via Haas Factory Team; 2027 return via NASCAR.com.
