Haas Factory Team will swap manufacturers over the off-season, as the team will move from the newly rebranded Ford Racing to Team Chevy for the 2026 NASCAR National Series campaign. The team made the official announcement on Friday morning, ahead of the race weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
Additionally, Haas Factory Team will enter into a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports beginning with the 2026 season. Haas Factory Team is set to continue competing in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly NASCAR Xfinity Series) next year.
While Haas Factory Team is excited about its future, the team is focused on closing out its chapter with Ford by finishing out the 2025 season on a strong note.
“First and foremost, we want to thank Ford for its partnership. Their support allowed us to establish Haas Factory Team, and we remain dedicated to delivering results for them in Cup and Xfinity all the way through the season finale in Phoenix,” Joe Custer, president of Haas Factory Team, said in a team press release.
For Haas Factory Team, this move is a callback to the formation of Haas CNC Racing, which the team owner Gene Haas founded in 2002. From its humble beginnings, Haas CNC Racing fielded Chevrolet race cars, and it continued to do so when the team became Stewart-Haas Racing through a partnership with three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart in 2009.
In 2017, Stewart-Haas Racing swapped from Chevrolet to Ford, a move that lasted until Stewart-Haas Racing closed its doors at the conclusion of the 2024 season.
Haas Factory Team, which rose from the ashes of the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing at the beginning of the 2025 season, utilized a partnership with Ford to get its single-car NASCAR Cup Series and two-car NASCAR Xfinity Series program off the ground. But the chance to rejoin Chevrolet in a partnership with Hendrick Motorsports was too good an opportunity for Haas Factory Team to pass on.
“Personally, I have a deep history with Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports,” Gene Haas said. “Both helped in establishing not only my presence as a team owner in NASCAR, but also the presence of Haas Automation. Together, we were able to build a race team that competed for wins and championships while growing the use of Haas CNC machinery throughout the racing and manufacturing industries.”
Hendrick Motorsports, which shared major success with the previous teams owned by Gene Haas, feels like this technical alliance will be a homecoming that will benefit both parties.
“We have a long history with Gene and his organization, including winning championships together, so this feels almost like a homecoming,” Rick Hendrick, team owner of Hendrick Motorsports, explained. “Our relationship started many years ago with Haas CNC machines in our facilities, and I’ve always admired the passion that he and Joe Custer have for the sport and their desire to win. We’re proud to support Haas Factory Team and thrilled to work together to deliver more victories for Chevrolet.”
In addition to the manufacturer swap, Haas Factory Team confirmed that the organization will continue to field a full-time NASCAR Cup Series entry, with Cole Custer behind the wheel of the No. 41 Chevrolet, and two full-time entries in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly NASCAR Xfinity Series), with Sheldon Creed behind the wheel of the team’s No. 00 Chevrolet and Sam Mayer behind the wheel of the No. 41 Chevrolet, in 2026.
While Haas Factory Team has endured an up-and-down season in the NASCAR Cup Series this year, Cole Custer and the No. 41 group have really started to churn out solid results over the last few months.
Custer snagged an eighth-place result at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City in mid-June. Over the last 12 races, Custer has an average finish of 22.17, which is nearly two full positions ahead of his season’s average finish.
A couple of weeks ago, Custer narrowly missed out on a race win at Daytona International Speedway, which would have secured a Playoff berth for the driver and his No. 41 team. Custer took the lead as the white flag was waving, but would cross the finish line with a fourth-place finish that night.
With one race remaining in the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season, Haas Factory Team has both of its drivers, Creed and Mayer, positioned to make it into the Playoffs.
Mayer sits third in the championship standings and is locked into the Playoffs after a victory at Iowa Speedway, while Creed is ninth in the standings.
