Stewart-Haas Racing announced it would shut down after the 2024 NASCAR season, but [autotag]Gene Haas[/autotag] won’t be going anywhere. On Thursday afternoon, it was announced that Haas would retain a charter from Stewart-Haas Racing and rebrand to [autotag]Haas Factory Team[/autotag]. The driver, sponsors, and manufacturer were not revealed in the announcement.
However, what made Haas go down this road? The NASCAR team owner explained his decision to keep his presence in the Cup Series beyond Stewart-Haas Racing in 2025 and beyond.
“My commitment to motorsports hasn’t changed, just the scope of my involvement,” Haas said. “Operating a four-car [NASCAR 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. Maintaining my presence in Cup allows Haas Automation to compete at NASCAR’s highest level, which is important to our customers and distributors. The [NASCAR Xfinity Series] program provides a full weekend experience for our guests, and it delivers added depth and scale to our overall operation.”
A four-car operation in the Cup Series was too much for Haas, but a one-car operation will be easier to maintain and develop. It’s always good to see new programs in the Cup Series, so it will be interesting to see how Haas and Joe Custer handle this situation. NASCAR silly season has been crazy, and Haas only added to the madness.
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