Gene Haas. IPA

Gene Haas retains charter, will still have a presence in NASCAR

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated 6/20/24

Gene Haas isn't done with NASCAR quite yet.

The 71-year-old announced on Thursday that he will retain one NASCAR Cup Series charter, after the team he co-owned, Stewart-Haas Raciᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚng, a🐻nnounced it would shut down and sell all four charters at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

According to Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass, the new Haas Factory Team will run one Cup Series operation and remain a two-car Xfini💯ty Series program, keeping Stewart-Haas' two entries in NASCAR's second-tier series.

Gene Haas will retain one꧂ SHR charter for new entity Haas Factory Team. It will also have two-car Xfinity program. Will operate out of current SHR facility. Joe Custer will run the operation. No mention of drivers, sponsors or manufacturer in news release.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass)

With one charter already known to be going to Front Row Motorsports, this leaves just two charters left on🍎 the market for 23XI Racing, Trackhouse Racing, Richard Childress Rac✅ing or any other Cup Series team to possibly purchase.

While many rumors had flown regarding where SHR's third and fourth charters would end up, the possibilitဣy of Haas keeping one Cup Series charter for himself wasn't seen as a legitimate possibility by most fans. In hindsight, however, it mꦕakes sense.

Since Cole Custer's rookie season in the Cup Series in 2020, the No. 41 car for Stewart-Haas has often been seen with Haas' logos plastered on the car, meaning the ෴fourth of SHR's four cars was likely funded entirely by Haas himself.

It was also announced Thursday that Joe Custer, father of the aforementioned Cole Custer, would run the operation. Cole Custer, the current Xfinity Series points leader and defending Xfinity Series champion, presumably becomes the favorite to be the driver for the new Haas team. If chosen to pilot the car, it'd be C♏uster's first full-time season of Cup Series competition since 2022. After three years of mediocre results and just one win, Custer was relegated to the Xfinity Series for 2023, but now, he seemingly has a great opportunity to compete at the top level of NASCAR once more.

The new Haas team will operate out of the building that St🎐ewart-Haas Racing currently uses. According to Pockrꩲass, no drivers, sponsors or potential manufacturers were named the press release by Haas.

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