DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed began their tenure as Haas Factory Team teammates in exemplary fashion on Saturday night.
The fresh-faced Ford duo avoided calamity and worked together to forge Haas Factory into a new era in the rebranded organization’s debut race, starting strong with a second-place finish for Mayer ahead of third-place Creed at Daytona International Speedway.
“Welcome to Xfinity, Haas Factory,” Mayer said.
RELATED: Race results | At-track photos
Mayer and Creed opted for the inside lane on the overtime restart in the United Rentals 300, leading their lane with an excellent opportunity to win. But leader Jesse Love got a helpful shove from Taylor Gray to clear Mayer and pounce to the bottom lane. The Haas duo broke up momentarily through Turns 3 and 4 with Creed utilizing a huge run to charge to the outside. But a multicar crash through the tri-oval coming to the white flag eliminated any chance for Mayer or Creed to fight for the win, instead allowing Love to score the season-opening victory.
Nonetheless, nothing could sour a podium day for HFT’s debut start, netting dual top fives in their inaugural outing. Mayer, who joined the No. 41 team after three-and-a-half years under the JR Motorsports banner, was elated with the group’s performance.
“It was awesome,” Mayer said. “This was some of the most fun I’ve had working with a teammate, just purely because at JRM, there’s four, sometimes five of us, so you’re kind of working with whoever’s around you because there’s someone around you at all times. Whereas now, you have to really find your one teammate out there and really hook up with him and do everything on your own.
“It was a lot of fun because it was challenging, but we both did a really good job. Sheldon is one of the best (restrictor) plate racers in the series right now, so that helps a lot, too.”
Creed was equally overjoyed with his opening run with HFT’s No. 00 team, slotting into a seat previously filled by 2023 champion Cole Custer after Creed spent 2024 with Joe Gibbs Racing.
“I had a lot of fun — probably the funnest I’ve had on a speedway,” Creed told NASCAR.com. “Usually I get, like, frustrated and (wonder) ‘What do I do?’ But I just tried to not get mad and take every run. I had a lot of fun tonight.”
That philosophy led Creed to leave the back bumper of Mayer heading into Turn 3 on the final green-flag lap in an effort to move farther forward.
“We talked about it before, and we were just like, ‘Take every run you have,'” Creed said. “Like, if we’re together, help each other. If lanes are falling, you can let one another in, but it’s your job to get yourself there. And then, once you’re there, just take your runs. We won’t get mad at each other. We get the full help when we do. I thought it worked well.”
Haas Factory Team president Joe Custer was thrilled to open a new chapter for his organization’s shop in Kannapolis, North Carolina, with such positivity. The team’s prior run as Stewart-Haas Racing ended its Xfinity era in Victory Lane at Phoenix Raceway with Riley Herbst in November 2024. To kick off the Haas Factory campaign with second and third-place finishes in the next event meant a significant deal to Custer.
“It’s critical for our company,” Custer told NASCAR.com. “We’re Haas Factory Team now. And we love our heritage, but there’s new people, and we want to charter a destiny going forward to compliment the past, and these guys are doing it. And I can’t wait to get to the shop on Monday and celebrate. But make no mistake, we’re working at the shop Sunday, literally.
“But this kind of cohesive commitment from everybody in the company makes it so fun, and the drivers did their parts. I expect them to do what they did. I’m not sitting here going, ‘I didn’t think that would happen.’ I’m thinking, ‘That’s exactly what they’re capable of.’ And they can give better, and we intend to.”
MORE: Xfinity Series standings | Xfinity Series schedule
Custer, father of Cole Custer, who returns to the Cup Series this year, said the team unity displayed Saturday night is the same that he’s seen over the past two months in the offseason. The group, he said, has “completely committed” to the idea of “two cars, one mission.”
“We didn’t get the win, so we got some work to do,” Custer said. “But as far as what the drivers delivered and the team and the pit stops and the strategy and the commitment to restart together, it speaks for itself. …
“We work from a standard of constant improvement. So if we can start at this level and see areas that we can (improve on) — and we do have areas we can improve on. It’s gonna be a fun year. It’s all the human capital.”