At first blush, the decision for Gene Haas and Joe Custer to remain in NASCAR didn’t make a lot of sense but they are bullish in both their business and the model they have developed around Factory Haas for 2025 and beyond.
Stewart-Haas Racing will shutter on November 11, three of the four Cup Series charters being sold to several other organizations but one will remain to form as the cornerstone for Factory Haas. The two Xfinity Series teams will also remain in place and everything will continue to run out of the existing shop in Kannapolis, North Carolina.
On Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Custer confirmed that his son, but also the reigning Xfinity Series champion, Cole, would be returning to the Cup Series to drive the No. 41 and that the organization would have manufacturer support from Ford Performance and a technical alliance with RFK Racing.
The Xfinity Series production line, the one that currently builds cars and offers support for the likes of RSS Racing, AM Racing and Rette Jones Racing, will also remain in place.
“Candidly, there was concern about stability and whether we were going to be here at the same level as Stewart-Haas operated,” Custer said on Saturday. “I can tell you we are, if not a bit higher level. Ford is a big supporter of the program, the Xfinity program, and there was no lack of interest in drivers. We’re getting close to announcing where we’re at on drivers for Xfinity and I think you’ll see that we intend to run for the same goals this year. Put both our drivers into the Final Four and compete for the championship in Phoenix both this year and next year and the year after.”
Custer says the Cup Series program and the No. 41 car driven by his son will have all the resources needed to compete at the same level as their partners at RFK Racing too. It’s hard to see where Gene Haas would spare any expense as well in bringing something to the table for Brad Keselowski and Jack Roush as well.
“It’s an open book, 100 percent,” Custer said. “We’re focused on software, sim, things of that nature with those folks for next year. There’s already a relationship on the aero side, but what we plan on bringing to the table is some of the systems and dynos and things of that nature, the capital investment items that we have in our shop, and they’re looking at some of the human capital and engineering resources from them.”
It’s different from the relationship SHR had with Hendrick Motorsports from 2011 to 2016 but this is also a different car, a spec platform where success is predicated with analytics and CFD over manufacturing.
“So it’s a little different than the Hendrick model but the willingness and the open book is there, and again Brad’s really stepped up and we’re excited about that relationship,” Custer said.
The Xfinity program was also too lucrative to shutter.
Custer and his engineering team builds competitive cars for their clients, and as long as Ford was committed to remaining with them, it was a no-brainer to continue that work. Custer says Factory Haas is invested in that platform and to the relationship it has forged with the Siegs, Wade Moore and Kevin Cywinski.
That the Xfinity Series is moving exclusively to the CW Network as almost a standalone brand appeals to Custer too.
“We are focused on the CW relationship, a seven-year program,” Custer said. “We started that a year ago when the CW was announced, that whole program, and we are building parts and pieces, working with NASCAR to find efficiencies so that we can compete at the highest level with our eight teams, our two cars and our technical partners.
“We’re super thrilled with what the 39 car has done this year, and that’s also driven interest in our program, because that’s a family-run operation out of Georgia that has had a chance to win week in and week out. We’re very excited that Rod Sieg has believed in our program and has looked to the future. So that’s driving interest, that there’s more to it than just our two drivers that are killing it. There’s also the resources behind the program. So we’re pretty excited about Xfinity if you can’t tell.”
That also includes the two in-house cars currently driven by Custer and Riley Herbst, who is rumored to be exploring a move to the Cup Series with 23XI Racing, who is themselves expected to purchase on of the SHR charters.
“Riley, we would love for him to come back and we’ve made him an offer to do so, but they’re looking at the whole sport,” Custer said. “I’m pretty excited about our Xfinity program. I’m going to brag on it a little bit. We started a few years ago, naturally, and Kevin Harvick and Cole, that first year helped us build it, and Richard Boswell and there’s a number of people that were instrumental.
“But when you look at what it has produced, three people, maybe four in the Cup Series. I’m not sure statistically since we started that there’s a more successful program that’s delivered more drivers to the Cup Series. That has resulted in no lack of interest in our cars next year.”
And maybe even Hailie Deegan too, who just split with AM Racing after a disastrous first half of her rookie campaign where she failed to keep the car inside the top-30 of the owner standings.
“Yes, we’ve spoken with her,” Custer said. “Obviously, she was with one of our technical partners. So that’s a challenge, right, to see what the future is with her. We believe there’s more in her, and we want to be part of that, but that’s for future conversations.”
And then, there’s the return of Custer to the No. 41 car he drove from 2000 to 2022. There was the one win at Kentucky in 2020 but a lot of struggles otherwise. The younger Custer accepted what was a demotion to Xfinity Series and captured the championship and is once again leading the standings this year after winning last week at Pocono.
“I just probably definitely matured a lot,” said Cole Custer. “I’ve always been the quieter guy, but I think that was kind of where I needed to grow a little bit is how you work with your people and how you get the car, how you need it every weekend. I think working on that was a big thing. And obviously now having a wife and a kid on the way, everything’s calmed down a little bit.
“Not that I was crazy before, I don’t think, but it’s just a little bit more solidified of who I am and what we’re looking for and what I need to look for also in the sport and in the cars.”
Ultimately, the Custers believe Factory Haas will be a success mostly because it has to be with Gene Haas’ name on it. The company will retain data and people from SHR, consolidate its focus, and streamline it towards one Cup car and the Xfinity business.
“There won’t be any resource that’s not retained on the property,” the elder Custer said. “Naturally, some cars, by rule, and some haulers will go away, but the rest of all the infrastructure, all the IP, everything, servers, data, let alone the equipment, is all retained.
“As far as the relationship with RFK, we looked at several, candidly, different ways to go. Just candidly …. we looked at different drivers, because Gene has no intention of being part of something that’s not successful or isn’t pointed toward success.
“He has built a company over the years that takes time, he understands that, but he wants to see improvement and people held accountable. So I think we’ve got that culture right now. I think we’ve had it in the Xfinity program and I think we’re focused on that same culture in the Cup program.”
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.