Stewart-Haas Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. The team is co-owned by three-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Haas Automation founder Gene Haas. It was founded in 2002 as Haas CNC Racing after Haas, whose company was a sponsor of Hendrick Motorsports, elected to form his own team. In 2009, Stewart, who had been driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, made a deal with Haas to drive for the team and in return receive a 50% stake in it.
The team is based and headquartered in Kannapolis, North Carolina - roughly 10 miles (16 km) north of Charlotte Motor Speedway - alongside sister team and Formula One entrant Haas F1 Team, but the two teams are treated as separate bodies for legal reasons.
In the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the team currently fields the No. 4 Ford Fusion full-time for Kevin Harvick, the No. 10 Fusion full-time for Aric Almirola, the No. 14 Fusion full-time for Clint Bowyer, and the No. 41 Fusion full-time for Kurt Busch. In the Xfinity Series, the team currently fields the No. 00 Ford Mustang full-time for Cole Custer and the No. 98 Ford Mustang part-time for Harvick, Almirola, and Chase Briscoe. In the K&N Pro Series West, the team currently fields the No. 41 Ford part-time for Almirola. The Xfinity team is operated in partnership with Biagi-DenBeste Racing.
The team receives engines from Roush-Yates Engines; until the end of 2016, the team received engines and technical support from Hendrick Motorsports under the General Motors banner.
The team has won in each of the three national touring divisions, joining Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Roush Fenway Racing as the only teams to accomplish that feat.
Video Stewart-Haas Racing
History
After being an associate sponsor of Hendrick Motorsports for a number of years, in April 2002, Gene Haas announced the formation of his own Winston Cup team for the 2003 season. Hendrick would provide cars, engines, and technical support for the team. Haas signed Jack Sprague, who had spent the previous six years driving in the Busch and Craftsman Truck series for Hendrick, to be his driver. Sprague, who at the time was sponsored by NetZero, brought his sponsorship with him and Haas' car became the No. 0 car. The team initially operated out of a small shop also rented from Hendrick Motorsports. After running Chevrolets in several races in late 2002, Haas CNC was one of several General Motors teams to switch from Chevrolet to Pontiac prior to the 2003 season. Haas CNC also fielded a part-time team in the Busch Series that year, going full-time in 2004. The team switched back to Chevrolet after 2003, when Pontiac left the sport.
On July 10, 2008, it was announced that then-two-time Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart would join the team as a driver and owner for the 2009 season, receiving a 50% stake in the team. Stewart had been driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, but was not happy with that team's switch from Chevrolet to Toyota, and wanted to get back to racing for Chevrolet. Haas, meanwhile, desired to have Stewart drive for the team, and for Stewart to attract sponsors and personnel. The team was renamed Stewart-Haas Racing. The team proceeded to sign several high-level sponsors and experienced personnel, while better utilizing its alliance with Hendrick Motorsports.
After fielding General Motors cars since the team was founded, on February 24, 2016 it was announced that the team would switch to Ford for the 2017 season, receiving engines from Roush-Yates Engines. The team also restarted its program in the now-Xfinity Series.
Maps Stewart-Haas Racing
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Car No. 4 history
What is now the No. 4 car was Haas CNC Racing's original foray into NASCAR's top series, with driver Jack Sprague and sponsor NetZero. Haas' car became the No. 0 Pontiac. Sprague posted a career-best 14th-place finish at the 2003 Daytona 500 to open up the season. Afterwards, however, the team began to struggle. After finishing 40th at Chicagoland, Haas released Sprague in favor of John Andretti, who finished 41st at Loudon and 33rd at Pocono, before qualifying 15th and finishing 19th at Watkins Glen International. Because Andretti had a prior commitment with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Jason Leffler drove the car at Indy, finishing 33rd. Leffler lost his ride with Ultra Motorsports, where he drove the No. 2 truck in the Craftsman Truck Series, because of his start at Indianapolis, but Haas hired him to drive the car on a more permanent basis shortly thereafter. Ward Burton was signed to drive the car toward the end of the season after eight years with Bill Davis Racing, while Leffler was reassigned to the Busch Series to drive the No. 00 car. In the final four races, he finished 13th at Atlanta and 18th at Rockingham.
In the 2004 off-season, Pontiac announced it was leaving the sport, forcing the team to switch back to Chevrolet. Burton began 2004 by finishing 17th at the Daytona 500 and then earned the team's first top-10 finish the next week with a 9th-place finish at Rockingham. The team was also 9th place in points. Despite top-20 finishes in 2 of the next three weeks, the team began to slip in points. After a streak of bad races, the team re-emerged at California Speedway with a 10th-place finish. The team racked up 5 straight top-20 finishes and Burton earned outside pole at Indianapolis, but made contact early in the race and finally crashed to a 39th-place finish. In October, Burton finished again in 10th place, this time at Talladega Superspeedway. After Phoenix, and a 40th-place finish, Burton was released by Haas and was replaced by Mike Bliss. The 2002 Craftsman Truck Series champion took over and had an immediate impact finishing 10th at Darlington, leading Haas to sign him for the 2005 season.
The team picked up Best Buy as an associate sponsor and four-race primary sponsor for 2005. The U.S. Coast Guard, sponsor for Haas CNC's Busch Series Car, also sponsored one race. Bliss began the 2005 season by finishing the 18th in each of the first four races. Despite a 9th at Pocono and 7th at Bristol, he was released from the ride at season's end. In the off-season, Jeff Green was signed to replace Bliss. Best Buy became the primary sponsor as NetZero left, and the team began the 2006 season with a renumbered No. 66 Chevrolet. The new car number was in honor of the year the new primary sponsor opened its first store, 1966. Green finished 28th in the final point standings in 2006, and was signed to continue driving the 66 in 2007. On October 22, 2007 it was announced that Jeremy Mayfield would take over the No. 66 car for Green for the final four races of 2007. During the off-season, Best Buy moved to Gillett Evernham Motorsports to sponsor Elliott Sadler's No. 19 Dodge.
Former Evernham driver Scott Riggs took over the No. 66 in 2008 with State Water Heaters as the sponsor, coming over from Morgan-McClure Motorsports. Hunt Brothers Pizza and Haas Automation also appeared on the car. Riggs struggled early on, but his performance picked up following the announcement Tony Stewart as a new co-owner of the team in mid-summer. Riggs finished the season in the top 35, but was released in favor of Ryan Newman who had just departed Penske Racing.
With Newman driving, the car changed numbers to No. 39 (the No. 39 was Newman's midget car number). The United States Army signed on to sponsor the car, however State Water Heaters and Haas Automation continued to sponsor races, while Hunt Brothers moved to JR Motorsports.
In spring 2009, Newman had a few top tens. He led the first 25 laps at Bristol and finished in 7th spot. He finished in 6th spot the next week at Martinsville after recovering from a pit road mistake. After finishing in the top twenty the next two weeks Newman had his breakout race leading the 2009 Aaron's 499 at Talladega, nearly scoring Stewart-Haas Racing's first win in NASCAR at Talladega. With 2 laps left, he was passed by Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski. While Newman was running third place he suddenly saw Carl Edwards, airborne, smash his windshield and hood. Unable to see, Newman let go of the wheel to let his car slide up into the wall and roll to the finish line. Newman would end up finishing third, beating Marcos Ambrose by a bumper. When he climbed out of his demolished car, Newman learned Edwards spun off of Keselowski's nose after Edwards tried to block Keselowski.
The next week, Newman led 45 laps at Richmond and ended up in 4th place. Newman made the Chase for the Sprint Cup but failed to win a race in 2009. The team did, however, score 15 top 10 finishes and managed to finish 9th in points.
The Army returned to Newman's car for the 2010 season as sponsor for 15 races and with new sponsorship from Tornados. The team won their first race in the No. 39 at the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix in 2010. The win was the first in NASCAR history for a car numbered 39. The team failed to make the Chase though and finished 15th in points.
In 2011, Newman scored a second win at New Hampshire International Speedway, while Stewart finished second making it the first 1-2 for Stewart-Haas Racing. Newman and Stewart made the Chase, and Newman came home 10th in the final standings.
It was announced that Quicken Loans would be a sponsor on the 39 car for the 2012 season. Newman got off to a quick start in 2012 with a win at Martinsville in only the 6th race. However, his momentum flagged over the summer and he missed the Chase.
For 2013, Quicken Loans became Newman's primary sponsor as the Army significantly reduced its motorsports sponsorships. Newman would struggle through the first half of the season adjusting to the Gen6 car. Through the second half of the season, SHR's performance would pick up, and Newman would take his first win of the season at the Brickyard 400, winning the pole and driving away from a dominant Jimmie Johnson. He would become the second Indiana native alongside Stewart to win the 400. Newman originally failed to make the 2013 Chase, but after Michael Waltrip Racing was penalized for "manipulating the results of the Federated Auto Parts 400", and Newman took Martin Truex, Jr.'s place in the Chase. After 2013, Newman was released after it was announced funding could not be found to keep his No. 39 team in operation (though the team would later sign Kurt Busch to a fourth ride).
For 2014, Kevin Harvick was signed to the newly renumbered No. 4 car, with his Budweiser and Jimmy John's sponsorship coming over from Richard Childress Racing. Hunt Brothers Pizza, which had sponsored the team in the past, also came over with Harvick. Harvick won in just his second start with Stewart-Haas Racing at Phoenix International Raceway. The team then won again at Darlington Raceway in April, leading 239 of 374 laps and using fresher tires to pass Dale Earnhardt Jr. with two laps to go. Harvick's two wins with the team earned him a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. He advanced into the second round with two Top 5s and won at Charlotte in October to earn a spot in the third round. Harvick finished the season strong, winning the penultimate race of the year at Phoenix to remain in title contention, then winning the final race of the year at Homestead-Miami Speedway to clinch the second Cup Championship for SHR.
Harvick had a strong run during the 2015 season with three wins and 28 top 10s, but lost the championship to Kyle Busch by just one point.
In 2016, Anheuser-Busch switched from Budweiser to Busch Beer as the No. 4's sponsor brand. Harvick's run in 2016 was not as successful as his first two years with SHR, finishing eighth in the points standings with four wins and 27 top 10s.
With SHR transitioning from Chevrolet to Ford in 2017, Harvick rebounded heavily with two wins, 23 top 10s, and third place in the points standings. Harvick's 2018 run has fared better, with seven wins and 23 top 10s. His season was not without controversy, as his Las Vegas win was declared encumbered after a post-race inspection discovered an unapproved rear window support and rocker panel extensions. As a result, the team was docked 20 driver and owner points, Childers was fined $50,000, and car chief Robert Smith was suspended for two races.
Car No. 10 history
The No. 10 was originally the No. 35, the second car of Tommy Baldwin Racing in 2011. In August 2011, it was announced that Danica Patrick would jump to NASCAR competition full-time with sponsor GoDaddy, running a limited Sprint Cup Series schedule of 8-10 races in addition to a full-time Nationwide Series ride with JR Motorsports. Stewart-Haas and TBR formed a partnership, with TBR fielding the number 10 (the number Patrick had used in her karting days) as a second full-time entry. Patrick drove 10 races, with a best finish of 17th at Phoenix in November.
For Patrick's starts, the team used Hendrick engines. Her crew chief in seven of the races was TBR owner Tommy Baldwin Jr., with Greg Zipadelli working one race and Tony Gibson two others. David Reutimann was the primary driver for Baldwin, which utilized ECR Engines and Pro Motor Engines in their starts. The owner points of the No. 10 were retained by Tommy Baldwin Racing for 2013.
Patrick was hired by Stewart-Haas to drive the No. 10 for the full 2013 schedule, making Stewart-Haas Racing the first team in NASCAR history to sign a female driver to a full Sprint Cup Series season. Danica would be competing with 2-time Nationwide Series Champion, and then-boyfriend, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year Timmy Hill for the Rookie of the Year award, priming to be the most competitive rookie battle since 2008. Because the No. 10 under SHR was a new entry, the team purchased the 2012 owners points of Robinson-Blakeney Racing to help ensure a starting spot in the first 3 races of the year. Patrick started the 2013 season winning the pole for the Daytona 500, the first woman to do so, and the first rookie to win the pole since Jimmie Johnson in 2002. Patrick also ran the fastest pole speed for the 500 in 23 years, timing in at 45.817 seconds. Patrick ran in the top 10 for most of the day, became the first woman to lead a lap in the 500, and finished 8th. In addition to her Superspeedway prowess, Patrick posted strong finishes at the difficult Martinsville Speedway, finishing 12th in the spring race and 17th in the fall race. At the end of the year, Patrick ranked 27th in points, with only one top 10 and a dismal 30.1 average finish, finishing in front of Hill and ultimately losing out to Stenhouse for ROTY.
Patrick returned for the 2014 season. In addition to GoDaddy.com, Aspen Dental signed on to be the primary sponsor for two races (Las Vegas and Atlanta). Patrick would get her career best finish, a 7th place at Kansas. Months later, she would get another career best finish, a 6th place at Atlanta.
Patrick and GoDaddy returned to the No. 10 in 2015. Patrick struggled throughout the season, earning two top 10-finishes at Martinsville and Bristol early in the year. Late in the season, GoDaddy announced they would be leaving Stewart-Haas Racing at the end of the season. Aspen Dental came on board for two races during the season.
Patrick returned to the No. 10 in 2016, with new primary sponsorship from Nature's Bakery. Mobil 1 and Aspen Dental also returned to the team.
In January 2017, Nature's Bakery pulled their sponsorship from Patrick, resulting in SHR filing a $31 million lawsuit for breach of contract. Nature's Bakery filed a countersuit, claiming that SHR failed to prevent Patrick from promoting competing products. Both parties agreed to settle the lawsuit in May 2017 and Nature's Bakery agreed to sponsor Patrick and Bowyer for four races. At the end of the season, Patrick was released from the team and replaced by Aric Almirola, who brought in Smithfield Foods as the team's sponsor after six seasons with Richard Petty Motorsports.
The No. 10 team's performance with Almirola in 2018 has been a huge improvement over its previous tenure with Patrick, having scored as many top 10 finishes in sixteen races as Patrick's six years. The team has also made its first appearance in the Playoffs. Almirola won the 2018 1000Bulbs.com 500 on October 14, giving the No. 10 team its first-ever win.
Car No. 14 history
What is now the No. 14 car debuted in 2002 as the No. 60, a fifth car for Hendrick Motorsports with Gene Haas listed as the owner. Hendrick's Busch Series driver Jack Sprague attempted six races (making three) in preparation for running full-time with Haas. His best finish was 30th in the season finale race at Homestead-Miami. Though Sprague and Haas ran the No. 0 Pontiac full-time, the No. 60 Chevy returned in 2003 under the Hendrick banner with driver David Green. The car was sponsored by Haas Automation, with co-sponsorship from Hendrick sponsor Kellogg's and Haas CNC sponsor NetZero. The car initially attempted only the restrictor plate races, missing their first two attempts, and finishing 32nd and 35th at the second Daytona and Talladega races respectively. The No. 60 would run full NetZero decals at Talladega after the No. 0 missed the race. The next race the No. 60 tried out was the 2003 fall race at Charlotte, with Brian Vickers making his debut in a red and black Haas car before moving to Hendrick's No. 25 car full-time. He qualified 20th and finished 33rd. In 2004, Jason Leffler ran a single race in the Haas No. 60 at Indianapolis, finishing last after an early crash.
The car returned as the second Haas car at the 2006 Coca-Cola 600, numbered No. 70 with Johnny Sauter driving. He ran in the Top 10 for most of the day before a blown tire caused him to wreck. The No. 70 made another attempt later in the season at the Brickyard 400, but failed to qualify. It was announced that the No. 70 would race full-time in 2007, with Sauter and sponsor Yellow Transportation moving up from the Busch Series. Sauter and the team worked their way into the Top 35 in Owner's Points after the first five races (which guaranteed a spot in each), but missed the Food City 500 at Bristol, yet still had Top 10 finishes at Phoenix (9th) in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 and at Richmond (5th) in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. For 2008, Jeremy Mayfield was chosen to be the driver after running several races at the end of 2007 in the team's 66 car. After the seventh race of the season, Mayfield fell out of the Top 35 in Owner's Points, so he and Haas CNC parted ways. Sauter, along with Jason Leffler, Tony Raines, and others, finished out the 2008 season.
For the 2009 season, the team switched to the No. 14 car and new co-owner Tony Stewart began driving for the team. Office Depot, moving over from Carl Edwards' No. 99 Ford Fusion, and Old Spice, brought by Stewart, came aboard as primary sponsors, with the number chosen in tribute to Stewart's racing hero, open wheel legend A. J. Foyt. Even though the No. 70 had finished outside of the Top 35 exemption rule, Stewart had the past championship provisional to utilize for the first five races of 2009 if it was necessary. After five races, the team was solidly in the top ten in owner points. Stewart won the 2009 Sprint All-Star Race, which was the first win for Gene Haas. A few weeks later, Stewart brought the team its first points paying win at Pocono Raceway in the 2009 Pocono 500. In the 2009 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, Stewart would win his second race under the Stewart-Haas banner, with Burger King as the sponsor. Stewart continued his winning ways with wins at Watkins Glen and Kansas. He managed a sixth-place finish in points.
Stewart struggled for the early portion of the 2010 season, which prompted Old Spice to leave Stewart-Haas for the 2011 season. Stewart recovered later in the year to win two races at Atlanta and Auto Club Speedway and managed to make the Chase. He finished seventh in points. It was later announced that Mobil 1 would be the replacement sponsor for Old Spice.
Stewart started the 2011 season with a dominant run at Las Vegas but a speeding penalty put the team out of contention late. Stewart was winless entering the Chase. During the 10 race Chase, Stewart won five races at Chicagoland, New Hampshire, Martinsville, Texas and Homestead to win the team's first Sprint Cup championship, tying Carl Edwards in points, but winning the tiebreaker by virtue of most victories (Edwards with one). The title also made Stewart the only NASCAR driver to have won championship titles under the Winston Cup (2002), Nextel Cup (2005), and Sprint Cup (2011) brands.
For the 2012 season, both Office Depot and Mobil 1 returned to sponsor Stewart as well as having a minor presence on Ryan Newman's 39 car's right left and right rear quarter panels. Burger King would leave the 14 car to sponsor the newly formed BK Racing.
Stewart and his team got off to a quick start in 2012 after finishing second in the non-points Budweiser Shootout, winning the first Gatorade Duel, the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas, and the rain-shortened Auto Club 400 at Fontana. Later in the season, he won the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. Stewart would end up finishing 9th in the points standings at the end of the season.
For 2013, Stewart received a new primary sponsor in Bass Pro Shops, which moved over from Earnhardt Ganassi Racing to replace Office Depot. Bass Pro Shops joined Mobil 1, which sponsored eleven races while Bass Pro Shops sponsored eighteen. As of June 20, 2013, sponsorship for the other nine races has yet to be determined, although Stewart said Haas Automation could serve that role if absolutely necessary. Stewart subsequently won the 2013 FedEx 400. On August 5, Stewart broke his right leg in a sprint car accident, and was replaced by Max Papis at Watkins Glen. Austin Dillon was named to drive the 14 at Michigan. After the Michigan race, it was announced that Stewart would miss the remainder of the season, with Mark Martin stepping in as a replacement for twelve of the thirteen races, with Dillon driving at Talladega.
As Stewart was not cleared to drive yet at the end of the 2013 season, including all official off-season testing, Martin continued driving the No. 14 during off-season testing. Stewart was eventually cleared to race.
At the 2014 Cheez-It 355 at The Glen, Regan Smith replaced Stewart after he had hit a driver during a sprint car race the night before. Jeff Burton replaced Stewart for the Pure Michigan 400 and the Irwin Tools Night Race.
On September 30, 2015, it was announced that Stewart would retire after 2016, and former MWR driver Clint Bowyer would take over his ride in 2017.
In 2016, Stewart was injured while riding a sand rail and was ruled out for the Daytona 500. In his place, former Michael Waltrip Racing driver Brian Vickers and Richard Childress Racing driver Ty Dillon drove the car. Tony returned to the car at Richmond. He later won the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, passing Denny Hamlin on the last lap, and snapped an 84-race winless streak. Stewart would be eliminated at the Round of 16, ending his last chance of a championship.
Bowyer struggled during his first year with SHR, scoring seven top 10s and finishing 18th in the 2017 points standings. His performance in 2018 has fared much better, with six top 10s and two wins at Martinsville and Michigan. This improvement in consistency has resulted in Bowyer's return to the Playoffs since the 2015 season and the No. 14 team's first Playoffs run since 2016.
Car No. 41 history
The No. 41 car is the fourth and newest team added to Stewart-Haas Racing and debuted at the beginning of the 2014 season. On August 26, 2013, Kurt Busch announced he would be leaving Furniture Row Racing to drive the fourth Stewart-Haas car. The deal was initiated by team founder Gene Haas, who would sponsor the full season through his company Haas Automation. The signing of Busch came with some controversy, considering that Ryan Newman's contract was not renewed under the pretense that there was not enough funding to run both Newman's No. 39 team and Kevin Harvick's new No. 4 team. In addition, Busch was signed by Haas while co-owner Tony Stewart, a noted rival of Busch's, was more-or-less incapacitated due to his leg injury, with Stewart publicly saying "It was his (Haas') decision" but also "Kurt [Busch] is a huge asset." On September 24, 2013, it was revealed that the car would be No. 41, and later that Daniel Knost would be Busch's crew chief.
In only his sixth race with the team, Busch took the checkered flag at the 2014 STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 30, 2014. Busch fought back from a pit road incident with former teammate Brad Keselowski and held off rival and Martinsville ace Jimmie Johnson for his 25th career victory and his first victory since 2011. The team struggled from a lack of consistency, leading to a crew chief swap with the No. 10 team. Tony Gibson became the No. 41 crew chief. Busch made the 2014 Chase for the Sprint Cup, but failed to make it past the opening round.
Busch started the 2015 season on suspension while he was investigated for allegations of domestic violence. Regan Smith took over the No. 41 car for the first three races of the year, finishing in the top 20 at both of the first two races. Although Smith competed for Xfinity Series points, the No. 41 car remained eligible for the owner's championship. Busch's suspension was lifted on March 11 and he returned to the No. 41 car at Phoenix, with a waiver to remain eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Busch scored his second victory in the No. 41 at Richmond in April. He scored his second win of the season at Michigan in June, in a rain-shortened event. Busch earned a spot in the Chase and made it through the three first rounds, but failed to make it to the final round. Busch finished eighth in the final points standings, with two wins and 21 top-ten finishes.
In October 2015, Busch signed a multi-year extension with SHR. For the 2016 season, Monster Energy became co-primary sponsor of the team along with Haas Automation, after being a personal sponsor of Busch since 2012. Before the Cup series season, Busch and SHR was informed that because the No. 41 team was not formed until 2014, they were not eligible for one of the 36 charters NASCAR granted to teams who participated full-time in Cup. Stewart-Haas Racing managed to secure Busch a spot in every race of the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season by purchasing a charter from the defunct Michael Waltrip Racing.
Busch started off 2017 with a crash in the Advance Auto Parts Clash after Johnson got loose and spun, collecting Busch in the process. A week later, Busch went on to win his first Daytona 500 in his long career, passing Kyle Larson on the last lap. This also gave SHR their first Daytona 500 win, as well as their first win with Ford. This was Busch's only win in 2017, and he finished the season 14th in points. This 58-race winless streak was broken with a victory at the Bristol night race in 2018.
Xfinity Series
Car No. 00 history
The Haas team made its debut in the then-Busch Series in 2003 season as the No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet. Troy Cline attempted a total of four races for the team, failing to qualify in the first two attempts before making the race at Fontana. The team used the number 79 in this race, utilizing the owners points of Aramendia Motorsports. Jason Leffler ran the final four races of the season in the car. He made his debut for the team at Kansas in October, starting 11th and finished 16th despite wrecking during the race. After a pair of 11th at Charlotte and Phoenix, Leffler had his first top-five, starting 14th and finishing 4th.
The team would go full-time in 2004. After a slow start, Leffler would finish out of the top-15 twice: a 34th at California and a 17th at Bristol. Leffler also grabbed a pole at California, and a win at Nashville. It was both Leffler's and Haas' first win. Leffler signed with Joe Gibbs Racing's Cup program for 2005, and was released from his Haas CNC ride before 2004 ended because of this. His immediate replacement was Hendrick Motorsports development driver Blake Feese, who had 7th place start at Kansas. However, he struggled in that race and all 4 races he ran for Haas. With Feese struggling, Haas looked for another driver, even as he moved Bootie Barker to the Cup Series operation. After Tony Raines finished tenth at Phoenix, Justin Labonte took over for the balance of the season.
Labonte was hired to drive the new No. 44 for 2005. This left the No. 00 without a driver for 2005. Despite Leffler's midseason release from Joe Gibbs Racing, he was not re-hired and the No. 00 remained inactive through the 2005 season. In 2006, Johnny Sauter was hired to drive the No. 00, with Yellow Transportation coming on board to sponsor the ride. The team finished 8th in the final point standings. A late-season surge for Sauter resulted in the No. 00 Busch Series team moving up to the Cup Series as the No. 70 team, and the team's Busch Series program was shut down and the equipment was sold to Jay Robinson Racing.
On July 25, 2016, Stewart-Haas announced plans to reopen its Busch Series - now known as the Xfinity Series - program starting in 2017. On September 16, 2016, the team announced that Camping World Truck Series driver, Cole Custer, would drive the car in 2017, with Haas Automation as the primary sponsor and crew chief Jeff Meendering. At the 2017 Ford Eco Boost 300, Cole Custer led almost every lap, won Stage 1 and 2, and earned Stewart-Haas Racing their second career Xfinity win.
Car No. 41 history
It was announced that Kevin Harvick would run six races in the No. 41 Mustang in 2017, starting with the March 4 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hunt Brothers Pizza was announced to be the primary sponsor for four of the six races, with Bad Boy Buggies being the sponsor for Atlanta, and FIELDS Inc. the sponsor for Watkins Glen International. Harvick did not win in the car but had a best finish of second at Charlotte.
Car No. 44 history
After driving the team's No. 00 at the end of 2004, for 2005 Justin Labonte ran a full-time in the No. 44 United States Coast Guard Chevy in a merger between Haas CNC and Labonte Motorsports known as Labonte-Haas Motorsports. However, he had limited success, with a 7th-place finish at Talladega and a 10th-place finish at Charlotte in the fall. After a 17th-place finish in points, Labonte was released at the end of the season. The No. 44, a Labonte family number, would not be fielded again by Haas.
Car No. 98 history
In 2018, SHR partnered with Biagi-DenBeste Racing to field Biagi's No. 98 car for Harvick, Almirola, and Chase Briscoe. On February 24, Harvick scored the first win for the team under the merger at Atlanta Motor Speedway. On September 29, Briscoe won the inaugural Charlotte Roval race, which also was his first career Xfinity Series win.
Camping World Truck Series and driver development
The team had an agreement for Camping World Truck Series team MRD Motorsports to be the driver development team for Haas CNC Racing which Blake Bjorklund was named the driver for the 2007 season. Bjorklund was originally scheduled to drive 12 races for MRD, but ran most of the schedule before being replaced by Chad McCumbee.
Truck No. 00 history
In 2014, 16-year-old Cole Custer, son of longtime SHR executive Joe Custer, ran the No. 00 Haas Automation Silverado in the Camping World Truck Series with the team, branded Haas Racing Development, for 9 races with trucks coming from Turner Scott Motorsports and engines from Hendrick Motorsports. Custer had finished 8th in the K&N Pro Series East standings in 2013 driving for Ken Schrader with sponsorship from Haas, including two wins at Iowa and Loudon. Custer made his truck debut at Martinsville Speedway, finishing 12th.
Custer became the youngest pole winner in Truck Series history, earning the top starting spot in his third start at Gateway Motorsports Park. He finished 6th in the race. Custer later won the pole at New Hampshire, and would go on to win the race from the pole, becoming the youngest driver to win a Truck Series race. With the win, Gene Haas became just the fourth owner to win a race in all three of NASCAR's national series.
Custer and the No. 00 team moved to JR Motorsports in 2015; although remaining a part of the Haas stable, the Haas truck team was shut down.
K&N Pro Series West
Car No. 41 history
Stewart-Haas Racing made their K&N Pro Series debut at the 2018 Carneros 200 at Sonoma Raceway. Aric Almirola drove the No. 41 Ford in preparation for the Cup race at the track the following day.
Wins
Monster Energy Cup Series
Xfinity Series
Camping World Truck Series
Footnotes
References
External links
- Stewart Haas Racing Homepage
- Haas Automation Homepage
Source of article : Wikipedia
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