Stewart-Haas driver Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 10 Bass Pro Shops Winchester Ford, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway on June 16, 2024 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
KANNAPOLIS, N.C (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – A month after announcing his racing team would fold at the end of the current NASCAR season, owner Gene Haas will remain in the sport in 2025.
Haas will retain one NASCAR Cup Series legacy charter from Stewart-Haas Racing and operate a two-car NASCAR Xfinity Series team. The new enterprise will be known as Haas Factory Team.
He has been co-owner of Stewart-Haas with NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart since 2009. On May 30, the team revealed that 2024 would be its final run.
SHR fields four Cup Series drivers and has nearly 300 employees at the Kannapolis headquarters, but Haas’ presence next year will be a smaller one.
“My commitment to motorsports hasn’t changed, just the scope of my involvement,” Haas said in a statement. “Operating a four-car Cup Series team has become too arduous but, at the same time, I still need a platform to promote Haas Automation and grow HaasTooling.com.
“Maintaining my presence in Cup allows Haas Automation to compete at NASCAR’s highest level, which is important to our customers and distributors. The Xfinity Series program provides a full weekend experience for our guests, and it delivers added depth and scale to our overall operation.”
Joe Custer will be the president of Haas Factory Team and it will operate out of the existing Stewart-Haas facility.
SHR’s closure will also shutter the SHR Xfinity Series team, whose two cars are driven by Cole Custer and Riley Herbst.
Drivers and team partners will be announced in the lead up to the 2025 season.
