Haas Factory Team
Martinsville Speedway
NASCAR Cup Series Notes
Race Information
● Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36)
● Date/Time: Sunday, November 1 | 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT
● TV/Radio: NBC | Motor Racing Network | SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90)
● Location: Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, Virginia
● Layout: 0.526-mile paperclip-shaped asphalt oval
● Laps/Miles: 500 laps/263 miles (Stages: 130-130-240)
● Track Activity:
Saturday, October 31
Practice
1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT
TruTV | MRN | SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90)
Qualifying
2:05 p.m. ET/11:05 a.m. PT
TruTV | MRN | SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90)
Notes of Interest
● For the third time this season, Bonanza Wines and their iconic livery will adorn Haas Factory Team’s No. 41 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, this time at Martinsville Speedway.
● Cole Custer has experienced success when boasting the Bonanza Wines paint scheme. At World Wide Technology Raceway on September 13, Custer posted an 11th-place finish in the No. 41 Bonanza Wines Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, while a year ago at Daytona International Speedway, he nearly collected the checkered flag when he finished fourth by only inches while carrying the Bonanza livery.
● Founded in 1947 by the late H. Clay Earles, Martinsville Speedway is the only track that has hosted NASCAR Cup Series races every year since the division’s inception in 1949.
● A 1/2-mile paperclip-shaped oval, drivers will have to navigate the tight, concrete corners of Martinsville, coming off the relatively long, asphalt straightaways. Having to go 500 laps is always a challenge, and the winner will have to combine speed, set-up and solid pit stops to get to victory lane.
● NASCAR Hall of Fame member Red Byron won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway on September 25, 1949.
● To celebrate Veterans Day this year, Caymus – a Legacy Partner of Honor Flight – released a special bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon featuring four World War II veterans on the front label, with a significant portion of the proceeds benefiting Honor Flight. Honor Flight’s mission is to honor our country’s veterans by providing all-expense paid trips to war memorials in Washington, D.C. For veterans, especially those who are elderly and served during World War II, these trips are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to reflect and feel supported and recognized. To learn more, please visit Caymus.com.
By the Numbers
● A week ago at Talladega Superspeedway, a hard-charging Custer hustled to a fifth-place finish after rolling off the starting grid from the 20th position.
● Custer will make his 10th NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville Speedway this weekend, where he has been near perfect, completing 99.6% of the laps at the paperclip-shaped oval.
● In his 34 Cup starts this season, the California native has completed 8,804 of a possible 9,163 laps, resulting in an impressive 96.1% lap completion percentage.
● Martinsville Speedway stands as Chevrolet’s most successful track in NASCAR Cup Series competition, with the manufacturer’s series-leading 63 victories at the .526-mile Virginia short-track reflecting generations of Bowtie brand success.
● The NASCAR Cup Series will run an established Goodyear Racing Eagle short track setup at Martinsville Speedway this Sunday. This setup has run at the Virginia track since last fall, when a new left-side tire was introduced to produce more fall-off than its predecessor. Since the spring race at Martinsville, teams have raced these Eagles at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Richmond Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The right-side tire also ran two weeks ago at Phoenix Raceway. Each team receives 12 sets of tires for the race weekend (nine new race sets, one qualifying set transferred to the race and two sets for practice). Goodyear will bring a wet weather tire for Sunday’s race. Each team will have a maximum of four sets of wet weather tires for the event.
No. 41 Bonanza Wines Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Driver + Crew Chief
Driver: Cole Custer
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, California
Crew Chief: Aaron Kramer
Hometown: Wellsville, New York