The pressing inquiry – who will take the wheel for the team – was resolved last weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway when current Stewart-Haas Racing Xfinity Series driver Cole Custer was announced as the driver for the No. 41 Cup team starting next season.
This decision wasn’t unexpected, as Custer – the reigning Xfinity Series champion – had previously raced for Haas in Cup, and his father, Joe, will oversee the HFT operations.
The younger Custer has achieved victory across all three NASCAR national series – Cup, Xfinity, and Trucks – bringing significant driving talent to the new Cup program.
Challenges Ahead for a Single-Car Team
A more critical question for HFT is whether it can achieve what many single-car teams have historically found difficult – consistently contending for wins.
Haas did not secure a Cup victory during his initial attempt within the series with Haas CNC Racing. It wasn’t until the addition of NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart as a co-owner of the rebranded SHR that the team significantly improved its competitiveness and began winning races and championships.
There is certainly no indication that Haas wishes to lead an “also ran” organization again.
In fact, it would contradict his aim to promote his own companies through the car. Why pour millions into an effort that would fail to garner attention and miss the spotlight in the sport’s media?
Joe Custer mentioned that his goal is to build a team that “can compete for wins and a championship,” having already secured multiple key elements to complete that vision.
Cole Custer, Stewart-Haas Racing, Haas Automation Ford Mustang
Photo by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images
HFT has formed a technical partnership with RFK Racing for 2025, which has shown considerable improvement in performance over the past two seasons. HFT will also maintain its collaboration with Ford Performance.
“By leveraging all the resources we bring and combining them with their successes and resources, we look forward to RFK and Haas Factory Team competing for wins and championships side by side,” Custer stated.
“With Ford as a partner, we’re not short on resources moving into next year. In terms of personnel, I’m pleased to report we’re well on track to assemble a team capable of competing at the highest level.
“Our focus encompasses everything related to human resources, from the pit crew to engineering capabilities. So, we won’t have any excuses next year. We have the driver, the team, the partnership, and the OEM.”
“Gene [Haas] is committed”
The lingering inquiry – which will remain until the team competes on the track in 2025 – is whether HFT can deliver results?
Many single-car teams have struggled with competitiveness in recent years, but the introduction of the Next Gen car in the 2022 season may have eased the path to success.
Teams can now acquire nearly all components of the car from single-source suppliers, eliminating the need to spend millions designing their own parts, which used to provide an advantage to larger, more stable organizations.
The gap between teams appears to have narrowed, with more emphasis on unique driving styles, pit crews, and strategic decisions.
“It’s definitely a different landscape,” Joe Custer commented regarding the initiation of this venture within the Next Gen era. “The resource requirements have shifted. Gene is fully committed to it. I believe the future holds more opportunities in software development, simulations, and a different set of tools in our arsenal.
“We can address the physical components and capital investments we’ve made, and the successes we achieved at Stewart-Haas relied on a different toolkit than what Next Gen offers us.
“So, we’re reaching out to Brad (Keselowski) and his crew at RFK to enhance our knowledge base and aid in our evolution. Strategically, we have resources that can strengthen their program and vice versa.”
Only time will reveal whether this strategy will succeed.
However, Cole Custer is determined not to let another opportunity in the Cup Series slip away and is optimistic about HFT’s potential to advance his career.
“Ultimately, every driver in the Cup Series can likely find speed out there. But the challenge lies in consistently achieving that speed and collaborating effectively with the team to maintain the right car feel,” he explained.
“I believe that with enhanced skills and the resources to compete at the top level, I am genuinely excited about what we can accomplish.
“I think we have the potential to achieve amazing things.”
