Haas Factory Team Confirms 2026 Plans and Impending OEM Change

What’s Happening?

The Haas Factory Team, the team owned by long-time NASCAR owner Gene Haas, will switch to Chevrolet in both the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts and Cup Series in 2025.

• As part of this announcement, the team will retain all three of its current drivers in both series for 2026. For technical support, HFT will align with Hendrick Motorsports and HMS engines for all entries in the two series. A move to Chevrolet was a recent rumor surrounding the team; this announcement also derails a rumor of the team selling its operation to Legacy Motor Club.
• With this switch, HFT joins Spire Motorsports and Hyak Racing in the Hendrick camp. This move also means Ford loses yet another NASCAR Xfinity Series program. As of press time, the remaining Ford teams in the series are RSS Racing, Joey Gase Motorsports, and AM Racing.
• This alignment is a bit of a throwback, as the team, formerly known as Stewart-Haas Racing, and prior to that, Haas CNC Racing, were aligned with HMS and Chevrolet from 2002 to 2017. SHR, then a four-car organization, made the shift to Ford in 2018, scoring 13 wins.
• In the team’s press release, Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports, said, “We have a long history with Gene and his organization, including winning championships together, so this feels almost like a homecoming.” During their time with Hendrick Engines, the former Haas organizations scored 39 wins, all under the SHR banner.
• After the 2024 season, as part of a larger decline in performance, SHR ceased its operation, releasing all four drivers and selling three charters. HFT still operates out of the Stewart-Haas Racing shop, utilizing SHR’s No. 41 charter for their No. 41 entry.

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