Haas CNC Racing

Owner	Gene Haas
Base	Kannapolis, North Carolina
Series	NASCAR Sprint Cup Series NASCAR Busch Series
Manufacturer	Chevrolet (2002, 2004-2008),Pontiac (2003)
Opened	2002
Closed	2008
Career
Debut	Sprint Cup Series: 2002Protection One 400 (Kansas) Busch Series: 2003Mr. Goodcents 300 (Kansas)
Latest race	Sprint Cup Series: 2008Ford 400 (Homestead) Busch Series: 2006Ford 300 (Homestead)
Races competed	Total: 394 Sprint Cup Series: 284 Busch Series: 110
Drivers' Championships	Total: 0 Sprint Cup Series: 0 Busch Series: 0
Race victories	Total: 1 Sprint Cup Series: 0 Busch Series: 1
Pole positions	Total: 2 Sprint Cup Series: 0 Busch Series: 2

Haas CNC Racing was an American professionalstock car racing team that competed in theNASCAR Sprint Cup Series andNASCAR Busch Series. Founded in 2002 byGene Haas, the founder ofHaas Automation, the team was established after Haas—then a sponsor ofHendrick Motorsports—decided to start his own operation. The team ceased operations after the 2008 season, merging intoStewart–Haas Racing when three-time NASCAR championTony Stewart joined as a driver and acquired a 50% ownership stake.

The team was based and headquartered inKannapolis, North Carolina – roughly 10 miles (16 km) north ofCharlotte Motor Speedway – alongside sister team andFormula One entrantHaas F1 Team.

After years as an associate sponsor ofHendrick Motorsports,^[1]Gene Haas announced in April 2002 that he would start his ownWinston Cup team for the2003 season. Hendrick agreed to supply cars, engines, and technical support. Haas signedJack Sprague—who had spent six years driving in the Busch and Craftsman Truck Series for Hendrick—as the team's driver. Sprague brought hisNetZero sponsorship with him, and the car was designated to No. 0.^[2] Initially, the team operated out of a small shop rented from Hendrick Motorsports.^[3] After runningChevrolets in late 2002,^[1] Haas CNC joined severalGeneral Motors teams in switching toPontiac for 2003,^[4] before returning to Chevrolet when Pontiac exited the sport.^[5] Haas CNC also fielded a part-timeBusch Series team in 2003,^[6][7] expanding to full-time in 2004.^[7][8]

On July 10, 2008, it was announced that two-timeSprint Cup Series championTony Stewart would join the team as both a driver and co-owner for the2009 season, acquiring a 50% stake. Dissatisfied withJoe Gibbs Racing’s switch fromChevrolet toToyota, Stewart wanted to return to racing with Chevrolet. Meanwhile, team owner Haas sought Stewart’s star power to attract sponsors and talent. The team was ultimately shut down and merged intoStewart–Haas Racing.^[9][10][11]

Jack Sprague and Multiple Drivers (2002–2003)

The No. 0 car, sponsored byNetZero and driven byJack Sprague, debuted as a Pontiac under Haas in 2003.^[6][8] Sprague opened the season with a career-best 14th-place finish at theDaytona 500,^[12] but the team soon began to struggle. After a 40th-place finish atChicagoland, Sprague was released and replaced byJohn Andretti,^[12][13] who finished 41st atNew Hampshire and 33rd atPocono, before qualifying 15th and finishing 19th atWatkins Glen. Due to Andretti’s prior commitment withDale Earnhardt, Inc.,Jason Leffler drove the car at theBrickyard 400, finishing 33rd. Although Leffler lost his ride in the No. 2 truck forUltra Motorsports in theNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series because of that start, Haas soon hired him as the team’s full-time driver.^[14]

Ward Burton (2003–2004)

Ward Burton took over driving duties late in the 2003 season after eight years withBill Davis Racing,^[15] whileJason Leffler moved to theBusch Series to drive the No. 00 car. Burton's best finishes in the final four races were 13th atAtlanta and 18th atRockingham.

In the2004 off-season, Pontiac exited NASCAR, prompting the team to switch back toChevrolet.^[5] Burton started the year with a 17th-place finish at theDaytona 500 and followed it with a 9th atRockingham, putting the team 9th in points. Despite two top-20s in the next three races, the team began to slide. A 10th-place run atCalifornia broke the slump, followed by five consecutive top-20 finishes. Burton earned an outside pole at theBrickyard 400 but crashed early, finishing 39th. He scored another 10th-place finish atTalladega in October but ended up 40th atPhoenix.

Mike Bliss (2004–2005)

Burton was soon replaced by2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championMike Bliss,^[16] who debuted with a 10th-place finish atDarlington and was signed for the2005 season.^[17] That year,Best Buy joined as an associate and four-race primary sponsor,^[18] with theU.S. Coast Guard backing one race. Bliss started the season with four consecutive 18th-place finishes and later posted top-10s atPocono (9th) andBristol (7th), but was released at season's end.

Multiple Drivers (2002–2004)

The No. 60 car debuted in 2002 as a fifth entry forHendrick Motorsports, withGene Haas listed as the owner.Jack Sprague, Hendrick's Busch Series driver, attempted six races (qualifying for three) to prepare for a full-time run with Haas.^[1][2] His best finish was 30th at the season finale inHomestead–Miami.^[19]

In 2003, while Sprague and Haas ran the No. 0 Pontiac full-time, the No. 60 Chevy returned under the Hendrick banner withDavid Green. Sponsored byHaas Automation, with support fromKellogg's andNetZero, the team initially targeted restrictor plate races. They failed to qualify for the first two, then finished 32nd at Daytona and 35th at Talladega, running full NetZero branding after the No. 0 car missed the field.^[20] Later that year,Brian Vickers made his Cup debut in the No. 60 at Charlotte, qualifying 20th and finishing 33rd before moving full-time to Hendrick's No. 25.^[21]

In 2004,Jason Leffler drove the No. 60 at Indianapolis but crashed early, finishing last.^[22]

Jeff Green (2006–2007)

The No. 66 car debuted during the2006 off-season, withJeff Green replacingMike Bliss as the driver.Best Buy became the primary sponsor, taking over afterNetZero's departure. The car number was changed to 66 in honor of the year Best Buy opened its first store in 1966.^[23] Green finished 28th in the 2006 standings and was re-signed for the2007 season. However, on October 22, 2007, it was announced thatJeremy Mayfield would replace Green for the final four races of the year. Following the season, Best Buy left to sponsorElliott Sadler’s No. 19 Dodge atGillett Evernham Motorsports.

Scott Riggs (2008)

In 2008, former Evernham driverScott Riggs took over the No. 66 car, bringing sponsorship from State Water Heaters after moving fromMorgan–McClure Motorsports. Additional sponsors includedHunt Brothers Pizza andHaas Automation. Although Riggs initially struggled, his performance improved following the mid-summer announcement thatTony Stewart would become the team's new co-owner. Riggs finished the season inside the top 35 in points but was ultimately released in favor ofRyan Newman, who had recently leftPenske Racing to join the newly formedStewart–Haas Racing team.

Johnny Sauter (2006–2007)

The No. 70 car made its debut as the second Haas entry at the2006 Coca-Cola 600, driven byJohnny Sauter. He ran in the top 10 for most of the race before a blown tire caused him to crash. The team made another attempt later that season at theBrickyard 400 but failed to qualify. In 2007, it was announced that the No. 70 would compete full-time, with Sauter and sponsorYellow Transportation moving up from theBusch Series. After the first five races, Sauter and the team worked their way into the top 35 in Owner's Points—securing a guaranteed starting spot—but missed theFood City 500 atBristol. Despite that setback, they earned top-10 finishes at 9th in theSubway Fresh Fit 500 and 5th in theChevy Rock & Roll 400.

Multiple drivers (2008)

In 2008,Jeremy Mayfield began the season driving for the team after competing in several races in their No. 66 car in late 2007. After falling out of the Top 35 in Owner’s Points following the seventh race, Mayfield and Haas CNC split. The rest of the season was completed byJohnny Sauter,Jason Leffler,Tony Raines, and others.

Jason Leffler (2003–2004)

The Haas team debuted in the2003 season with the No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet.Troy Cline attempted four races, failing to qualify twice before making the field atFontana usingAramendia Motorsports’ No. 79 owner points.^[6][7][24]Jason Leffler took over for the final four races,^[7] debuting atKansas with an 11th-place start and 16th-place finish despite a wreck. He followed with 11th-place finishes atCharlotte andPhoenix, then earned his first top-five by finishing 4th after starting 14th.

The team went full-time in2004.^[7][8] After a slow start, Leffler had just two finishes outside the top 15—a 34th at California and a 17th atBristol. He also earned a pole at California and scored his and Haas’ first win atNashville.^[25] Leffler signed withJoe Gibbs Racing for a Cup ride in 2005 and was released from Haas CNC before the end of 2004.^[26] Hendrick development driverBlake Feese replaced him, starting seventh at Kansas, but struggled in all four of his starts.^[26] As Feese faltered, Haas continued to search for a driver and promoted crew chiefBootie Barker to the Cup program.Tony Raines finished tenth at Phoenix, andJustin Labonte drove the remaining races.^[16]

Justin Labonte (2005)

In 2005,Justin Labonte drove full-time in the newly renumbered No. 44U.S. Coast Guard Chevy forLabonte-Haas Motorsports, a merger between Haas CNC andLabonte Motorsports.^[27] He had limited success, with a best finish of 7th at Talladega and 10th at Charlotte. After finishing 17th in points, he was released at season’s end. The No. 44, a Labonte family number, was not fielded by Haas again.

Johnny Sauter (2006)

In 2006,Johnny Sauter was hired to drive the No. 00 car, sponsored byYellow Transportation.^[28]After finishing 8th in the Busch Series standings, the team moved up to the Cup Series as the No. 70. The Busch program was shut down, and its equipment sold toJay Robinson Racing.

This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(September 2025)

The team had an agreement forCamping World Truck Series teamMRD Motorsports to be the driver development team for Haas CNC Racing whichBlake Bjorklund was named the driver for the 2007 season. Bjorklund was originally scheduled to drive 12 races for MRD but ran most of the schedule before being replaced byChad McCumbee.

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