Former Xfinity champion Cole Custer shares his two cents on the key to success at the ‘tough’ Martinsville race: “You can’t lack anywhere”

Haas Factory Team's Cole Custer uploaded a video on his X(formerly Twitter) handle on March 29 and highlighted what it took to win a race at the Martinsville Speedway. The Cup Series race at Martinsville will take place on March 30, 2025, and Custer will be taking to the track in the #41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

Cole Custer won the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship with Stewart-Haas Racing and joined the newly formed Haas Factory Team for the 2024 season. Custer previously raced with Rick Ware Racing and SHR in the Cup series.

With over a decade of stock car racing experience under his belt, Cole Custer detailed the technical nature of the Martinsville Speedway where even a small mistake can be the difference between winning and losing. He suggested that a driver needs to have a perfect weekend in order to win at Martinsville.

“Martinsville is a track where it does relate between, you know, every car in the top three series. It kind of relates of, you know, what lines you run, how you work the rubber, move up a half lane or wrap the bottom or move up a whole lane, and just trying to figure out what works best for your car,” said Cole Custer.

“I think the tough thing about Martinsville is it takes everything, you know. It takes the pit stops being really good, takes the car being, you know, good on entry, good in the center and good on exit. You know, like, you can't lack almost anywhere you, if you're going to win there,” he added.

Custer has raced at Martinsville Speedway six times in the Cup Series. His best finish came in 2020 when he finished the race in P13 after starting P15. The Haas Factory Team driver qualified well during his last Cup Series race at the circuit in 2022 when he started P3 but finished outside the Top 10 in P14.

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Cole Custer’s #41 Haas Factory Team partnered with Autodesk for the Homestead-Miami race

Cole Custer (#41 Haas Factory Team Autodesk/HaasTooling Ford) runs in turn 4 during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 400 on March 22, 2025 - Source: Getty

The Haas Factory Team announced during the Homestead-Miami race week that Autodesk, a software solution company, will be sponsoring Cole Custer's #41 entry as the primary sponsor for a couple of races during the 2025 Cup Series season.

While the first of those two races was last weekend's Straight Talk Wireless 400, the Autodesk livery will next be seen on the #41 Ford at the Sonoma Raceway for the Cup Series race on July 13. Custer finished last weekend's Cup Series race in P28.

Autodesk has been a long-term sponsor for Custer as they sponsored his SHR Cup Series entry from 2020-2022 and most recently, his Xfinity entry with SHR last year.