Cole Custer announces return to the Cup Series

During a press conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Saturday morning, Xfinity Series Champion, Cole Custer, made the less-than-shocking revelation that he will return to the Cup Series in 2025.

Calling this information “news” would be laughable considering industry insiders and fans alike have suspected Custer would pilot the one and only Cup Series charter that Gene Haas retained after announcing the demise of Stewart-Haas Racing at the end of the 2024 season. When questioned in the media center following his Xfinity win at Pocono Raceway the week prior, Custer claimed he still did not know what the plans were for his future given the remnants of SHR. However, it was obvious he was simply waiting for the right time to spill the beans. Apparently, the right time was at Indy.

Gene Haas will be the sole proprietor of the new team, which will field a single car in the NASCAR Cup Series starting in 2025, alongside two entries in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team will continue to be part of the Ford Performance family and maintain a technical alliance with RFK Racing. At 26-years-old, Custer will return to the #41 car, which he drove for three years before returning to the Xfinity Series. During that 3-year span, he had 117 NASCAR Cup Series starts, securing a victory in his rookie season at Kentucky Speedway, along with two top-five finishes, 12 top-10s, and a pole position. The #41 is currently driven by Ryan Preece; it’s rumored that Preece will return to Xfinity to take Custer’s place.

“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.”

Haas Automation and HaasTooling.com will be the primary sponsors for Custer and the Haas Factory Team in 2025. Gene Haas’s company has been a significant supporter of the Xfinity Series champion since his ARCA Menards Series West debut in 2013.

“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.”

Since moving to the NASCAR Xfinity Series last season, Custer has claimed four victories, including the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, which clinched the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. In 52 starts, he has also achieved 22 top-five finishes and 36 top-10 finishes.

In addition to his Xfinity Series successes, where he now has 14 victories, Custer is also the youngest driver to win a NASCAR National Series event, having won a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2014 at the age of 16.