Gene Haas Rejects Tony Stewart’s Path to Continue Cup Series Legacy With Rekindled Hope for SHR Drivers

Gene Haas will remain active in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series despite calling it quits at Stewart-Haas Racing. The team was a joint venture between him and NASCAR legend Tony Stewart and had been operating since 2009. As Tony Stewart bids goodbye and moves to NHRA full-time, Haas will remain active and retain one of the four SHR charters in the Cup Series.

Haas will remain associated with NASCAR for the foreseeable future with his new enterprise – Haas Factory Team. Apart from retaining one charter for his single Cup Series car, the team will also field two cars in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. This means, Cole Custer, who won the Xfinity Series last season, will continue working for Haas.

“My commitment to motorsports hasn’t changed, just the scope of my involvement. 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,” Haas, 71, was quoted saying via Bob Pockrass.

It was expected that Gene Haas would remain active in NASCAR after Stewart Haas Racing’s closure, having owned or co-owned a NASCAR team since 2002. But few expected that he would branch out and start his own racing operations at this stage of his career.

In addition to this, Pockrass shared that the new Haas team will operate out of the current SHR facility in Kannapolis, North Carolina. Joe Custer, who is currently the co-president of Stewart-Haas Racing, will handle operations of the rebranded team. However, there is no news on the driver, sponsor, or manufacturer for the Haas Factory Team.

As such, this new development also opens up the doors for all four SHR drivers to compete for the single charter. While Chase Briscoe has already been linked with a move to JGR, this opens the doors for the likes of Josh Berry, Noah Gragson, and Ryan Preece to secure their ride in 2025.

This move also leaves two of the four SHR charters up for grabs. One was already secured by Front Row Motorsports, which is expanding to a three-car team, and Haas has utilized the second charter. Teams like 23XI Racing and Trackhouse Racing’s remain interested as they look to expand and could end up buying the remaining charters.

SHR decided to sell their charters after losing sponsors following the retirement of their drivers Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola in 2023. Moreover, their manufacturing deal with Ford was coming to an end this season, with no talks over a new contract. During its 16-season run, SHR collected 69 Cup Series wins and two Cup championships. But now Stewart and Haas have gone their separate ways, with the latter still keen on competing at the highest level.

But what about the driver for Haas Factory’s single Cup Series car? Nothing can be said for certain, as Gene Haas could bring in a new driver to his new team. There can also be a possibility of the current Xfinity team’s star driver being promoted to the new team.

Potential drivers to land a seat with the new Haas Factory Team

This is not the first time Haas will single-handedly run a team in NASCAR; the 71-year-old fielded the Haas CNC Racing team in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2002 until 2008. While this could be assure the drivers that they will be in experienced hands, here are the drivers who could be favorites for that One Cup Series team.

There is Cole Custer, who won the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series and could be back competing in the Cup Series with the Haas Factory Team. The driver is already sponsored by Haas and is a good pick when compared to the current SHR drivers, excluding Briscoe. With six top-5 finishes, Custer is once again mounting a title charge, and a consecutive championship could further raise his stock to enter Cup racing.

Looking at other options, Haas wouldn’t want to bet on Josh Berry and Ryan Preece, as they have not yet delivered promising stints. Meanwhile, Noah Gragson is linked with a move to Richard Childress Racing, but again, he would keep his options open. As Gragson eyes a seat at RCR, ‘Rowdy’ Busch could also be a potential driver for the newly formed team.

Now, why Kyle Busch? We recently heard him voicing his willingness to switch to one of his former teams, Joe Gibbs Racing or Hendrick Motorsports. Since he’s already mentioned a switch, and veterans like Kevin Harvick believe that HMS or JGR might not be a good idea, the Haas Factory Team could be a potential landing spot.

Meanwhile, coming to Chase Briscoe, it will be hard to see him stick around with the rebranded SHR team. He is now seen as the successor to Martin Truex Jr. at JGR, and he certainly would want to take over a team that would help him compete for wins.

Haas is likely to look for sponsorships, and this is where Gragson has got himself covered with the backing of Bass Pro Shops. So that remains an option for the team owner. Who would be your guess to take on the seat with the new Haas Factory team?