Stewart-Haas Racing was a legendary creation in NASCAR. After Gene Haas achieved little success in his early stint as a team owner – Haas CNC Racing’s Mike Bliss narrowly missed the 2005 All-Star Race. But, his association with Tony Stewart in 2008 was an event etched in gold. The team fetched two championships (2011, 2014) and 70 Cup race victories. Now, people have bid adieu to that golden legacy – but Haas is still hungry for more with Brad Keselowski’s help.

As SHR started wrapping up its operations in mid-2024, the Haas Factory Team rolled out its plan. Building upon the remnants of his old team, Haas is determined to continue the streak of success. But that is no mean feat, and the automotive businessman relies on one of Ford’s fastest-growing teams – RFK Racing. An insider shared details about this bountiful relationship.

Brad Keselowski opening doors for Haas

Tony Stewart is a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (2002, 2005, 2011). He and Ryan Newman brought instant success to SHR, winning 7 races in 2009-2010. Then he also beat Carl Edwards in a thrilling 2011 championship race. Saying goodbye to an alliance with this stalwart may have been tough.

However, Gene Haas already summoned help from another Cup Series Champion – Brad Keselowski. The 2012 title winner will lend support to the fledgling Haas Factory Team on behalf of RFK Racing. The latter team faced the doldrums in the mid-2010s. But, since Keselowski hopped aboard in 2022, it has improved by leaps and bounds.

Chris Buescher won three races last year and narrowly missed the playoffs this year. Brad Keselowski also snapped a 103-race winless streak besides cracking the playoffs. So Haas’ team is excited about its technical alliance with RFK. Aaron Kramer, who worked with RFK since 2016 and will now serve as the HFT No. 41’s crew chief, outlined the details of this relationship. “It is probably well-engrained that as far as our visibility into what RFK is doing is what we can hope for. Obviously, we’re in separate buildings, with separate people, different tools, and different ways of putting cars together.”

He added, “This is a pseudo-fourth car in terms of the support we’re going to get.” 

This indicated Brad Keselowski’s stronger presence as a Ford team owner. However, Kramer clarified that the competition will remain the same.“They’re not going to do us any favors on the racetrack. We’ll still go out there to race. But as far as getting information, set-ups, and different race-car theories and ideas from them…I’m excited for it.”

Kramer, a former lead race engineer at RFK, rehashed the strong competitive culture in Keselowski’s fold. “The years that I was there, the first car that you wanted to beat was your teammate. So that same attitude is there going forward – just because we have a technical alliance doesn’t mean we’re going to get help that other people would or would not otherwise get.” 

And this blooming alliance is sure to give Haas the boost for success, which his team is determined to achieve.

Setting their goals high

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Before 2022, many single-car operations have not fared well. Yet ever since the Next-Gen car debuted, the pathway to success may have become a bit easier, with single-source suppliers limiting the flexibility of wealthier teams. The separation between teams seems to have become smaller and more refined.

The focus is more on areas like individual driving characteristics, pit crews, and strategy calls. So Joe Custer, head of the Haas Factory Team operation, is eager to take advantage of these differences. Throw in Brad Keselowski’s technical support, and you may have a recipe for continuing the streak of brilliance that Tony Stewart brought to SHR.

When the HFT-RFK alliance was announced earlier this year, Custer optimistically outlined his team’s blueprint for growth. It involves a tit-for-tat relationship with Keselowski as well. “We can check the box on the physical parts and pieces and capital investment that we had and the successes we enjoyed at Stewart-Haas were using a different set of tools than the NextGen is offering…So candidly, we’re leaning on Brad (Keselowski) and his group at RFK to add to what our knowledge base is and help us evolve. Strategically, there’s resources that we can offer that can make their program stronger and vice versa.”

Evidently, Brad Keselowski’s support charts out bright prospects for Gene Haas’ Cup Series dreams. It may be enough to uphold the legacy of Stewart-Haas Racing even after its demise.