Haas Factory Team
Phoenix Raceway
NASCAR Cup Series Notes
Race Information
● Event: Straight Talk Wireless 500 (Round 4 of 36)
● Date/Time: Sunday, March 8 | 3:30 p.m. ET
● TV/Radio: FS1 / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90)
● Location: Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, Arizona
● Layout: 1-mile, asphalt tri-oval (0-11 degrees of banking)
● Laps/Miles: 312 laps/312 miles
● Practice and qualifying:
Saturday, March 7
Practice noon – 1 p.m. ET
Prime / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90)
Qualifying 1:10 p.m. ET
Prime / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90)
Notes of Interest
● Phoenix Raceway hosts its annual spring date this weekend for the fourth points race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.
● Phoenix Raceway has held a variety of events since its opening in 1964, including NASCAR, INDYCAR, and CART races.
● The track is known for its frontstretch kink, commonly referred to as a ‘dogleg’, that was added to accommodate the track’s original road course, which used parts of the oval alongside specialized portions outside the oval.
● Alan Kulwicki won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway on November 6, 1988.
● Fun Fact: Lucky 7s
Alan Kulwicki won the first NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix, driving his No. 7 Ford Thunderbird. But that was just a start, as the first seven races at the Arizona oval were all won by drivers who went on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame: Bill Elliott (2015) won in 1989, Dale Earnhardt (2010) in 1990, Davey Allison (2019) in 1991 and ’92, Mark Martin (2017) in 1993 and Terry Labonte (2016) in 1994.
● Each team gets nine sets of Goodyear Racing Eagle tires for the race (eight race sets plus one set transferred from qualifying).
By the Numbers
● Custer makes his ninth Cup start at Phoenix this weekend, where he finished 25th last fall in the season finale.
● His best finish came in his debut race at the track in 2020, when he drove up to ninth after starting in the 16th position.
● Custer has started inside the top 10 in two of his last four starts at Phoenix Raceway and has an average starting position of 18.3.
● Custer won the O’ Reilly race at Phoenix in the fall of 2023 while running the No. 00 car, where he started seventh and led 96 laps.
No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Driver and Crew Chief
Driver: Cole Custer
Hometown: Ladera Ranch, California
Crew Chief: Aaron Kramer
Hometown: Wellsville, New York