Cole Custer, once a Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) standout and Xfinity Series champion, is spearheading the Haas Factory Team’s push for a playoff berth in 2025. As the Haas Factory Team navigates its formation and development, Custer leverages the heritage and infrastructure left behind by SHR to accelerate this new organization’s competitive potential.
Originating from SHR’s strong foundation, Haas Factory Team is attempting to establish its own identity while benefiting from strategic alliances and inherited resources. Custer, alongside his crew chief Aaron Kramer, is fully engaged in this complex transition, managing the challenge of building a program that honors the past but must innovate for future success.
Detailed Preparation Underpins Team’s Progression
Custer and Kramer have been methodical in their approach, meticulously compiling extensive notes to guide their adaptation from the SHR to the Haas Factory Team methodologies. Reflecting on these efforts, Custer admitted,
“We have a lot of notes to look at. I’m not going to lie on that. It’s just a matter of for what our cars currently are right now and what our team currently is right now. It’s, you know, there’s a lot of moving parts. You know, we have different simulations than we had last year and different tools to work with. So it’s there’s a lot of different moving parts, that it’s not as simple as just plugging one thing in and hoping it works.”
—Cole Custer, NASCAR Driver
The closure of SHR after the 2024 season marked the end of a dominant era, highlighted by 70 Cup wins and two championships since 2009. However, the legacy lives on as Gene Haas maintained a Cup charter, enabling Custer’s return amid the new Haas Factory Team framework. This carryover of expertise and organizational DNA is critical as Custer’s team strives to both preserve and evolve competitive engineering principles in a freshly minted environment.
Custer’s dedication to this evolution was publicly noted when assembling transition notes during this season’s first half, emphasizing a deliberate effort to convert the technologies and strategies once rooted in SHR to the current Haas Factory Team’s setup.
Cole Custer talks about building a notebook with crew chief Aaron Kramer during the first half of this season. That made me wonder if they have any applicable notes from the transition of SHR to Haas Factory Team. What Custer said: @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/HJXmv4yM12
—Bob Pockrass, NASCAR Journalist
Adapting to New Tools and Team Dynamics
Early in the season, Custer realized that success hinged on customizing approaches to fit the newly formed team’s unique structure and resources. He elaborated on this adjustment period, saying,
“You know, we actually kind of found that out at the start of the season. So you really have to tailor it around your team because everything is all new people, all new tools. So we’re really having to work through that stuff. And I think we’re starting to get in the flow of things halfway through the year here.”
—Cole Custer, NASCAR Driver
The No. 41 car is treated as a “pseudo fourth car” within RFK Racing’s technical alliance, giving Custer access to vital data streams, wind tunnel resources, and advanced simulation tools. This blend of inherited SHR knowledge with fresh Haas infrastructure theoretically positions the team for competitiveness, though actual on-track results remain a work in progress.
Despite these advantages, the transformation involves more than equipment upgrades; it requires a fundamental mindset shift and flexibility within the team. Custer is actively embracing this challenge, seeking to meld SHR’s legacy with innovative strategies suited for the Haas Factory Team’s ambitions.
Current Standings and Playoff Prospects
The 2025 campaign has presented numerous obstacles, with Custer’s team currently positioned 34th in the playoff standings. The path to the postseason is narrow, demanding a race victory to clinch a playoff berth. Custer’s best finish this year was an eighth place in Mexico City, illustrating flashes of potential but not yet consistent top-tier results.
Among his best opportunities are triumphs at road courses or wildcard superspeedway events, where a strong performance could secure crucial points and position him as a playoff contender. The pressure to convert these chances into wins is mounting, reflecting the intensity around the Haas Factory Team’s overall mission.
Custer’s Focus on Pocono Raceway for Redemption and Momentum
Looking ahead, Custer is concentrating on Pocono Raceway, a venue known for its challenging “tricky triangle” layout. Success there could solidify momentum for the rest of the season and boost playoff chances. He recognizes the complexity of competing at Pocono, emphasizing the need for flawless execution in all areas. Speaking to Peter Strata, Custer stated,
“You have to have everything working. You have to have a good strategy, good pit stops, and a great car that can work in all three corners. The driver has to be on their game because it’s a tough place to get around with how fast it is and how flat it is, so you just have to really be 100 percent in every single area.”
—Cole Custer, NASCAR Driver
Custer’s confidence is rooted in a solid Pocono track record, including two wins in the Xfinity Series, the most recent just last year, and a personal best Cup finish of 16th in 2020. Despite these achievements, he underscores the track’s demanding nature and the necessity to continuously improve. He remarked,
“I’ve won a couple Xfinity races there and an ARCA race, but I feel like it’s always a place that challenges you that you can always do better. You don’t ever feel like you leave that place and did an absolutely perfect job because it’s so hard to really hit perfect laps around that place every single time.”
—Cole Custer, NASCAR Driver
Potential Upsets and the Road Ahead
With just one win needed to reset his postseason hopes, Custer remains a wild card in the playoff battle. The recent precedent set by Shane van Gisbergen — who secured a late-season breakthrough — illustrates that dramatic shifts remain possible, injecting unpredictability into the playoff chase. Custer’s combination of inherited SHR expertise, innovative team-building, and on-track grit positions him as a contender who could disrupt expectations as the season progresses.
How Haas Factory Team ultimately balances the advantages drawn from Stewart-Haas Racing’s legacy with its own evolving identity will be key. Custer’s leadership and adaptability are central to that effort, demonstrating a nuanced approach to building for both immediate results and sustainable success in NASCAR’s high-stakes environment.
