After two seasons away from NASCAR’s top level, Cole Custer returns to the Cup Series in 2025 as the sole driver for the newly formed Haas Factory Team (HFT). The 2023 Xfinity Series champion and 2024 Xfinity regular-season runner-up has proven his talent in the lower series. However, his previous struggles in the Cup Series raise questions about how competitive he can be this time around.

The 26-year-old California native will drive the No. 41 Ford Mustang for the Haas Factory Team. Notably, Gene Haas formed this team after Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) decided to cease their NASCAR operations. Despite the optimism around the newly built squad, there are concerns about the team’s capabilities. Former SHR driver and NASCAR veteran Kevin Harvick has expressed doubts about Gene Haas’ new venture. He has raised questions about the No.41 team’s ability to match other teams and the challenges it poses for Cole Custer.

Kevin Harvick’s honest take on Custer’s new challenge

Cole Custer’s Cup series career has been a rollercoaster. In 2020, Stewart-Haas Racing offered him a full-time seat in the premier series. Custer started with a bang as he won his first Cup race at Kentucky Speedway as a rookie. However, after that victory, he failed to put up a show and hit a major slump in the following seasons. From 2020 to 2022, Custer struggled to make an impact, as he failed to even break into the top 15. Notably, his best points finish was P16. This ultimately resulted in him being demoted to the Xfinity Series. While he’s added an Xfinity Series title and racked up multiple wins under his belt, will we see a similar version of Custer in the Cup Series?

Ahead of the Daytona 500, former SHR driver Kevin Harvick questions Haas’ preparations for Cole Custer. While he praised Custer’s talent and work ethic, he was skeptical about whether the new HFT team would be competitive. On the latest episode of his podcast, Happy Hours with Kevin Harvick, the former NASCAR champion shared his thoughts. “I mean, Cole is a great race car driver. I think Cole is underrated just because of his arrangement with Gene Haas and his dad and everything that comes with it,” said Harvick.

Despite his praise, Harvick isn’t confident about the Haas Factory Team. “I don’t think that they’ll have the same infrastructure that they had, only having one team… I know that they have an alliance set up, but, you know, I think it’ll be interesting to see how they perform because I don’t think it’ll be as good as what it was… If they’re in that category, I mean, nobody knows until we get the season started. It’s gonna be an uphill battle. And I don’t know that he’ll have the cars compared to his ability,” Harvick added.

Harvick’s concerns are not without merit. While Gene Haas has managed to hold on to much of their past equipment and resources, the absence of multiple cars in the stable could severely limit data-sharing and overall performance. Although they have merged forces with RFK Racing, it’s too early to predict if this partnership will yield positive results. Interestingly, the other two single-car operations are also Ford teams – Rick Ware Racing and Wood Brothers Racing, and they haven’t been able to compete against the top-tier teams.

The crew chief of the no. 41 team, Aaron Kramer, also an ex-RFK employee described the #41 as a “pseudo-fourth RFK car.” RFK Racing isn’t a big-brother team like Team Penske with Ford and they themselves are finding their footing in the Next Gen era. We have seen how Legacy Motor Club has had their troubles, so imagine what a single-car team might have to go through in their debut season.

Adding to the concerns is Cole Custer’s previous performances in the Cup Series. The 26-year-old driver was purely the opposite of what he is in the Xfinity series. From 2020 to 2022, he only managed one win and a best-season finish of 16th. In 2023 he made a comeback with select races. However, that wasn’t promising either as he ended with a best finish of P24. These results raise questions about whether he can compete at the top level or not. Well, Harvick then went on to share his take on RFK Racing’s prospect for the 2025 season, and let’s just say he isn’t convinced they are a competitive race team

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Harvick’s tough words on RFK boss Keselowski

Kevin Harvick did not just criticize HFT’s prospects – he also raised doubts about RFK Racing, the very team that Custer will rely on for technical support. On his podcast, Harvick questioned whether RFK’s co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski could regain his past dominance. Harvick is most concerned about the team’s ability to consistently contend for race wins every week. He acknowledged RFK’s improvements but pointed out that Keselowski has been inconsistent.

“I don’t think we ever see another championship out of Keselowski. I think he’s done a great job at RFK… Can Brad Keselowski get back to that consistency that he had at Penske? And can he do that as a driver and owner? I haven’t seen it yet. I think that they have the speed on occasion to go out and win some races, but it comes in small pockets. And it’s not been where it needs to be to be back in championship mode,” said Harvick.

At a time when new teams like 23XI Racing and Trackhouse Racing are making serious gains, RFK Racing just have been catch up to them. In the Next Gen era, both the newcomers have made an appearance in the championship race, whereas RFK Racing’s Round of 8 appearances was the closest they came to contest for the title back in 2023. One-off wins throughout the season aren’t going to bring them any closer to contending for the title.

Notably, Harvick’s comments are backed by the fact that Brad Keselowski has won just one race in the last three years. He made his comeback to the victory lane after 2021 with a win at Darlington, but he was not consistent with his performances. In the upcoming season with expanding team alliances, Keselowski will need to lead the squad and put up a show. As the 2025 season unfolds, all eyes will be on the No.6 Ford and the No. 41 car. What do you think Can Custer and Keselowski prove Harvick wrong?