When Haas CNC Racing was formed in 2002, they partnered with Chevrolet, and after a year with Pontiac in 2003, that Chevrolet partnership was restored in 2004. It was enhanced in 2009 when Tony Stewart joined forces with Gene Haas to form Stewart-Haas Racing, and the team remained aligned with the manufacturer through 2016.
But in 2017, Stewart-Haas Racing switched to Ford, and they remained with Ford through their 2024 shutdown.
When Haas opted to retain one of his team's four charters to run a one-car team known as Haas Factory Team in the Cup Series (plus a two-car program in the Xfinity Series), he also opted to remain with Ford, and it was support from Ford which allowed the team to be established.
After one year, however, Haas Factory Team have announced that they will be cutting ties with Ford and switching to Chevrolet, both on the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series side.
Haas Factory Team leaving Ford for Chevrolet
The decision comes after Cole Custer finished in 33rd place in the Cup Series regular season point standings with two top 10 finishes.
On the Xfinity side, Sam Mayer is responsible for Ford's only win of the year at Iowa Speedway; teammate Sheldon Creed remains winless, though he did also qualify for the playoffs. Chevrolet, however, has won 23 of 26 races, primarily with JR Motorsports (and more specifically, with Connor Zilisch).
Custer is set to remain behind the wheel of the No. 41 Ford-turned-Chevrolet in the Cup Series, while Creed and Mayer are set to remain behind the wheel of the No. 00 and No. 41 Ford-turned-Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series (which is set to become the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series), respectively.
Haas Factory Team are set to form a technical partnership with Hendrick Motorsports and use Hendrick engines across both series. Haas was an associate sponsor of Rick Hendrick's team before Haas CNC Racing was created.