NASCAR Rumor: Cup Series Return for Tony Stewart’s Champion on the Cards With Gene Haas’ Surprise Decision

Stewart-Haas Racing is going home after 2024 but Gene Haas isn’t done with the Cup Series. Despite Tony Stewart’s decision to leave NASCAR, Haas has already laid out plans for next season with his new Haas Factory Team. The finer details are yet to be disclosed, with the most prominent question being who is going to drive for the single car Cup Series team next season.

After SHR put its four charters for sale, Front Row Motorsports brought one for a reported $20-$25 million. While, Trackhouse Racing and 23XI Racing may buy at least one charter each from Stewart & Haas ‘garage sale,’ Haas has already snapped one charter with an aim to field a team next season.

Gene Haas might have an ace up his sleeve for his new team

Only seven years before Tony Stewart’s association in 2009, the Haas CNC team graced the 2002 Winston Cup scene with Jack Sprague and the #4 car as Hendrick Motorsports heavily reliant technical allies. So average was their premier division push, that their first-ever win, quite ironically, came in NASCAR’s second tier, the Busch Series (now known as the Xfinity Series). The late Jason Leffler earned that accolade for himself and Gene Haas’ race team in 2004 at Nashville, driving the #00 Haas Automation Chevy.

The Haas team’s next win would not arrive until Tony Stewart’s victory as the owner-driver of the infamous #14 car. However, once he and Kevin Harvick had departed over a decade later, there was no more championship pedigree or even race wins, for that matter, evident through the quartet’s sub-par performances in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series.

Consequently, the bright spot inside the Stewart-Haas stable in recent regard, has not been Chase Briscoe, Josh Berry, or even a resurgent Noah Gragson. Instead, the only driver still flying the SHR flag miles above any of his soon-to-be-ex colleagues is Cole Custer, son of Gene Haas’ long-time trusted associate, Joe Custer.

Cole is the defending Xfinity Series champion. Quite deservingly, yet ironically, he drives the #00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang in the second division, but that’s not all. When Custer was given his first opportunity in the Cup Series behind the wheel of the #41 car for SHR, he became part of a select group of drivers to have won a race in their rookie season. So far, he has 13 career wins at the Xfinity level.

While Bob Pockrass of FOX informed how Gene Haas will operate his team next season, he also outlined Cole Custer as the possible driver for Haas’s new venture in Cup Series. He tweeted, “Gene Haas will retain one SHR charter for new entity Haas Factory Team. It will also have a two-car Xfinity program. Will operate out of current SHR facility. Joe Custer will run the operation. No mention of drivers, sponsors, or manufacturer in news release.” 

Replying to his own tweet, Pockrass said, “Cole Custer, since he’s already sponsored by Haas, (he) would have a solid shot at this Cup ride (if Haas didn’t retain a charter, would think more possible Custer to Front Row w/Haas sponsorship).”

Custer has six top-5 finishes this season, as he looks for successful defense of his title. A second championship in a row, would only help his cause. Besides, a certain level of familiarity can only serve Gene Haas well in this not-so-new venture, considering his hands-off ownership approach toward his race teams.

That is an understatement, especially since the NASCAR team is his second venture in motorsports alongside the more famous Haas F1 team. But are there more experienced options available?

Chase Briscoe looks set to a move to Joe Gibbs Racing. Haas could take a gamble by betting on Josh Berry or Ryan Preece, but that could be an underwhelming move. There is always a chance that Noah Gragson, who is linked with Richard Childress Racing, could take the mantle for Haas’s new team, given that he is backed by sponsors, Bass Pro Shops.

Could we surprise move from Kyle Busch? Who knows? Regardless, when speaking to the global media about his rebranded NASCAR team, Gene Haas only had optimism to impart.

Are Xfinity standouts eyeing a shot at the big leagues?

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Albeit Tony Stewart has been invested in his drag racing efforts at Tony Stewart Racing (TSR), Ohio businessman and philanthropist Haas has been suffering from health issues for much of last year. Speculations surround not just their NASCAR team but also Gene’s F1 team, facing constant scrutiny since the firing of former Team Principal Guenther Steiner at the onset of the 2024 season.

But on a more positive note, Haas provided some much-needed updates surrounding his current situation, as he said in an official statement, “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.”

A true businessman getting his affairs in order following, what some would call adversaries, Gene would then conclude, “Maintaining my presence in Cup allows Haas Automation to compete at NASCAR’s highest level, which is important to our customers and distributors…” He emphasized, “The Xfinity Series program provides a full weekend experience for our guests, and it delivers added depth and scale to our overall operation.”

If Cole Custer does find his way into Gene Haas’ rebirth plans, it will surely be a perfect match. Although running winless in the 2024 Xfinity season, Cole has shown promise since his first-ever advances as the youngest NASCAR Truck Series race winner at only 16 years of age.

And in case, Gene Haas & Co. decide to build the perfect Xfinity outfit, a name like Riley Herbst could very well add to all their glory, with a hunger to prove it and many more years of racing on his side. Nevertheless, the next few months will surely be an exciting time for NASCAR fans keeping a tab on the Haas Factory Team.