Gene Haas star Cole Custer recalls panic-filled Bristol debut as a teenager

In the buildup to his return to Bristol Motor Speedway, Haas Factory Team #41 Cup Series driver Cole Custer opened up about the first time he raced at the venue as a teenager. In a clip shared by Clear28 Agency, he said that his debut at Bristol during his K&N Pro Series days left him “out of breath” and desperate for a break after spinning early in the race.

The 27-year-old is now an Xfinity Series champion, a Cup Series race winner, and one of Gene Haas' key drivers across NASCAR’s top two levels. In 2013, long before he wore the Haas colors, Custer was a 15-year-old rookie stepping into the “Colosseum” for the first time.

Cole Custer reshared a video on X by his management agency, Clear 28 and wrote:

"Ready to get back to @ItsBristolBaby this weekend! 🗡️"

Custer's rise through NASCAR’s ranks has been steep and steady. The son of longtime Stewart-Haas Racing executive Joe Custer was exposed to racing from a young age and developed a taste for short tracks and late models early on. That experience eventually led to a spot in the K&N Pro Series East, where he made his debut at none other than Bristol Motor Speedway.

The #41 Ford Mustang driver revealed his Bristol experience in the video:

"Yeah I remember the first time I drove at Bristol was in the K&N Series and it was the most nerve-wracking thing I have ever been a part of. Just because it was the first race of the year. The first time I had been to a real NASCAR track, and you are going there as a 15-year-old just trying to figure it out. You have no idea what to expect."

The nerves were understandable for the then 15-year-old Cole Custer. Bristol isn’t just any short track, it is a high-banked, half-mile concrete bullring that is fast and prone to wrecks. Nicknamed "The Last Great Colosseum," it’s a proving ground that even veteran drivers approach with caution.

For Haas #41, in his first big-league moment, it was overwhelming. Custer recalled how, in the opening laps, things unraveled quickly:

"I remember the first 10 laps. I think I spun out after, about 10 laps. I think I was somewhat fast, but I spun out. I was ready to spin out because I was out of breath. So, you go back to the garage and you are hoping that it is a long change so you can catch your breath and get ready for the next run."

The incident was an early lesson in how quickly things can change at Bristol, but it also became a formative moment that has stuck with him.

The Haas Factory Team racer drove for Ken Schrader Racing and even found a win at Iowa Speedway, which made him the youngest race winner in K&N Pro Series history. He got two more wins in the season to finish eighth in the final standings.

“Such a surreal place”: Cole Custer recalls the awe of racing at Bristol

Cole Custer during the NASCAR Xfinity Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Source: Imagn

More than a decade later, Cole Custer will return to the iconic short track not as a kid trying to make it but as a Cup Series regular. His 2024 campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series has shown his dominance, where he finished six points behind winner Justin Allgaier with 4029 points.

Custer has long overcome those fears and finished eighth in his last outing at the short track in 2022.

"I mean, I think whenever you walk into Bristol, it is such a surreal place with the Colosseum and the banking and everything about it. So it always gives you that special feeling that everybody wants to win there," he added.

Cole Custer will aim to bring the Xfinity form to the Cup this year. The 27-year-old is yet to finish in the top 20 in the Cup this season and will feel Bristol could be a momentum-building weekend.