Cole Custer to run 5 NOAPS races in 2026
MOORESVILLE, N.C. – SS-GreenLight Racing announced Friday that Cole Custer will return to the organization for five NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races in 2026.
Custer will drive the organization’s No. 0 Chevrolet on a limited basis in NOAPS, in addition to driving Haas Factory Team’s No. 41 Chevrolet on a full-time basis in the NASCAR Cup Series. 2026 will mark Custer’s first NOAPS starts since 2024 — the year before he moved up to the No. 41 car.
Custer has 15 wins, 69 top-five finishes, 119 top-10 finishes and 21 poles in 176 NOAPS starts. His career has taken many twists, from earning his first of nine wins in his first NOAPS tenure from 2017 to 2019, to earning five wins and the 2023 title in his second tenure from 2023 to 2024 after bowing out of Cup.
In between the two tenures was a win for SS-GreenLight at Auto Club Speedway in 2022. To date, that Auto Club win is the organization’s lone win.
“Having Cole back in our car is an honor. We’ve been lucky to share success and we hope to have more this season,” SS GreenLight owner Bobby Dotter said. “We are stepping up our program this year with lease motors and new personnel and Cole will be a big part of that effort.”
Custer has a NASCAR Cup Series win to his name — in June 2020 at Kentucky Speedway. His first year back in Cup in 2025 saw him earn two top-fives and three top-10s, with a best finish of fourth at Daytona in August — a race he nearly won.
The 2026 season will see him return to Chevrolet for the first time since early on in his career. SS-GreenLight following suit means the reunion can happen.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity to return to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and compete with SS GreenLight Racing and Chevrolet. I’m really looking forward to working with Bobby and the entire team over these five races. Our goal is to have strong runs every time we unload and put ourselves in position to race for wins and get to Victory Lane,” Custer said.
It’s unknown when Custer’s first start in the No. 0 car will take place. The organization already named Garrett Smithley as the car’s anchor driver in 2026 — and Alex Labbe as the driver for all of the road course races.
Categories
Discover more from The Racing Experts
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com