Joe Custer underlines Gene Haas’ new NASCAR venture as having the complete package after ending Tony Stewart's partnership

Two months back, Tony Stewart and Gene Haas announced they would end their 15-year-long partnership after the current season ends. Several factors like no win since Kevin Harvick's triumph at the 2022 Richmond Race, and the exit of the big-pocketed sponsors such as Smithfield Foods, Anheuser-Busch, Hunt Brothers Pizza, and many more, contributed to the fallout of SHR.

While Tony Stewart has exited the Cup Series scene as of now, Haas will be staying as he has retained one charter for his newly birthed venture- Haas Factory Team. After much speculation about the prospect of HFT's #41 Ford, defending Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer was announced as the driver for the single-car team. His father, Joe Custer will observe the presidential role in the garage.

Before Tony Stewart and Gene Haas came together to form the co-owned team in 2009, the latter ran Haas CNC Racing. However, the venture didn't find itself competing for the wins until Stewart entered. Two years after the team formed, he bagged his third Cup Series title and SHR's first. To date, the team has amassed 69 wins.

But, despite Tony Stewart's exit, Joe Custer is affirmative that HFT will compete with the championship contenders. This comes after the team announced their technical alliance with RFK Racing and the newly-formed team's president is up for a "shoulder to shoulder" battle.

“Taking all the resources that we bring to the table and combining it with their success and the resources they have, we look forward to RFK and Haas Factory Team competing for wins and championships shoulder to shoulder,” Custer said.

He continued:

“Along with Ford as a partner, we’re lacking no resources going into next year. People-wise, human capital, I’m happy to say we’re well on the way there to putting together the team capable of competing for wins.

“We’re focused on everything related to human capital, from the pit crew to engineering resources. So, we won’t have any excuses going into next year. We’ve got the driver, we’ve got the team, we’ve got the relationship, we’ve got the OEM [Original Equipment Manufacturer],” the president added.

Tony Stewart's co-owned team's Xfinity driver Cole Custer is "excited" for his Cup Series return

The 2025 year won't be the first time Cole Custer will fight for the top spot at the Cup level. Before switching back to full-time Xfinity Series racing last year, the SHR driver used to tame the high-octane rides at NASCAR's premier level as well.

After his debut in 2018 for Rick Ware Racing, Custer did three Cup runs. The next year, Tony Stewart's co-owned venture signed him full-time and he fielded the #41 Ford for three seasons (2020-2022). He bagged a solitary win, two top-5s, and seven top-10s, and achieved the Sunoco Rookie of The Year honors. But the sophomore season saw a downfall in his performance.

The Californian could manage two top-10s and his DNFs stood at three. Thus, he finished 2021 in P26. Though he claimed three top-10s in his final Cup Series season with SHR, his tally of DNFs was a career-worst of 7.

Last year, along with his full-time Xfinity schedule, he returned to RWR for a part-time stint in the Cup Series and didn't mark his presence in the latter this year.

Expressing his excitement about coming back for Cup Series racing, Cole Custer said:

"This is really exciting. Ever since me going back to the Xfinity Series, to get the opportunity back at the Cup level again was the biggest goal. So, to have this opportunity to get to drive for Haas Factory team next year is huge for me. I think we can do some really special things with the resources that we have as a team," he said.

Joe Custer has highlighted that the Haas Factory Team has approached Tony Stewart and Gene Haas' current driver Riley Herbst but the finalization is yet to happen.