Custer Returning To Cup Series With Haas Factory Team

Cole Custer (Matthew Thacker/Nigel Kinrade Photography)

INDIANAPOLIS – After two years of a career revitalization, defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Cole Custer will return to the sport’s top level next season.

Announced Saturday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Custer will drive for Haas Factory Team in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2025, as it restructures and rebrands from the current four-car Stewart-Haas Racing stable.

The 26-year-old from Ladera Ranch, Calif., will lead team owner Gene Haas’ slimmed down, single-car team, coming back to full-time Cup Series competition for the first time since the 2022 season.

He’ll drive the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, with sponsorship from Haas Automation and a technical alliance with RFK Racing. Ford Performance will also provide additional support for the team.

Custer’s relationship with Haas Automation goes back to his 2011 USAC National Focus Young Guns Championship, and includes wins in the former NASCAR K&N Pro Series, ARCA Menards Series, and all three of NASCAR’s national series – the Craftsman Truck Series, Xfinity Series, and the Cup Series.

“I’ve grown up with Haas Automation, and having their name on my firesuit is something I take a tremendous amount of pride in. I’m driven to win for Gene and everyone at Haas Automation because they’ve been such a big part of my career,” Custer said. “Haas Factory Team will essentially be a new race team next year, and it’s going to take all of us to build it into an organization that can go out and win races.

“I want this opportunity and I’m ready for this challenge.”

After three years in the Cup Series from 2020-’22 produced only a single victory and 12 top-10 finishes, Custer has made a resurgence since dropping back into the Xfinity Series.

Since the beginning of 2023, Custer has earned four wins, 22 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes, including his title run during last year’s playoffs that made him the 34th champion in Xfinity Series history.

He’s also the current Xfinity Series point leader and coming off a win at Pennsylvania’s Pocono Raceway on July 13 which locked him into the postseason, giving him a chance to defend his crown later this year.

Now, Custer will also be able to begin prepping for a second chance to prove himself in the Cup Series.

“Going back down to the Xfinity Series and really learning what I need to do better has been a big key,” Custer noted. “I think one of the biggest things is just how you work with your team. At the end of the day, every single driver in the Cup Series can go out there and go fast, but it’s a matter of how you consistently get that speed and how you can work with your team to get the feel that you need in the car that makes the difference.

“Having the resources to go out there and compete with the best out there is what we want to do, so I’m really excited and I think we can do some great things.”

Custer’s father Joe, a longtime Stewart-Haas Racing executive, will continue in a similar capacity as Haas Factory Team’s president next season.

Combined with Haas’ desire to continue promoting his two major machining businesses – Haas Automation and Haas Tooling, which have served as Custer’s primary sponsors in NASCAR for many years – it made the young star an obvious fit to continue working with Haas into the future.

“Cole has represented Haas Automation for more than half his life and he’s delivered results every step of the way. He just wins, and he’s proven that repeatedly,” said Gene Haas, founder and president of Haas Automation and the owner of Haas Factory Team.

“On his way to winning the Xfinity Series championship last year, Cole really carved out an identity for himself, on the track and off. He brings home trophies and he races people clean. He’s earned a lot of respect from his peers, and he’s a genuine personality whose hard work resonates with our customers.

“The NASCAR Cup Series is tough, but Cole is coming back wiser and tougher. We’re very happy to have him in our colors and in our racecar.”

With the premier series on the horizon, Custer’s next chance to continue his Xfinity Series title defense will come Saturday afternoon at IMS during the Pennzoil 250 at the Brickyard.

Broadcast coverage of NASCAR’s return to the iconic 2.5-mile oval is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET, live on USA, the IMS Radio Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.