Category: Press Releases

Born in 1971, Tony Stewart grew up in a robust era of car culture, where manufacturers catered directly to the consumer with unabashedly loud graphics splashed across premium versions of its cars and trucks.

One of the most prominent and iconic graphics packages came from Ford, and it’s one that caught the eye of NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart when he was an 8-year-old racing go-karts in and around his hometown of Columbus, Indiana.

Ford’s Free Wheeling package featured a bright, kaleidoscope color palate that oozed 70s-era swagger. The limited-edition run was available on the F-100, F-150, Bronco, Econoline van and Courier, and even the Pinto Cruising Wagon. But the Free Wheeling version that resonated the most with Stewart was the one on a black Ford Bronco.

“Every year when we went down to Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, I would join Edsel Ford and on race morning and we’d judge the Mustang show,” said Stewart, the three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion who co-owns Stewart-Haas Racing with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas. “This past year they had a bunch of Ford Broncos there too, and that got me thinking about those Broncos with those cool graphics packages I remember seeing back when I was still racing go-karts. I started looking around on the internet and when I finally found it, I knew I had to have it.”

It is a 1979 Ford Bronco Ranger XLT. The year prior, the Bronco migrated to the F-series chassis, giving it full-size proportions. The big, tall sides and wide hood provided the ideal canvas for those vivid stripes that signified the Free Wheeling edition. The Bronco, in particular, amplified those bright graphics with blacked-out bumpers and mirrors. And the sharp looks were more than skin deep, as the Bronco came with a rumbling, 400 cubic-inch V8 that made its presence known even while sitting idle as it rode on quad, heavy-duty shocks and big, 15-by-8-inch wheels. It was this look that Ford featured prominently in its ads, and has since become a cult classic.

“It looks badass,” Stewart said, “but it’s also pretty simple, especially under the hood. I can work on it, and that’s the fun part. There’s an Advance Auto Parts not far down the road from where I went to high school. I can pick up a case of Mobil 1 synthetic, a filter, and do the oil change myself. I can work on it and tinker with it and, you know, I’ve got plenty of time now.”

Stewart, like the rest of the sporting world, is sidelined due to the coronavirus outbreak. Even after retiring as a fulltime NASCAR driver at the end of the 2016 season, the Hoosier has filled his schedule with nearly 100 sprint car races a year. He’s won 23 of those races across a variety of series since his last NASCAR race at Homestead on Nov. 20, 2016. But not being tied to a schedule for the first time in seemingly forever has provided a glimpse of what resides outside a racetrack.

“The rear roof of the Bronco comes off and, honestly, once the weather gets nice, it’ll probably stay off,” Stewart said. “It’s got captain’s chairs up front, but a big bench seat in the back, and with the roof off, that’ll be awesome. I’ve always thought being able to remove the roof was the coolest thing about these Broncos, and now I’ll get to actually enjoy it.”

As much as Stewart relishes his retro Bronco, he’s acutely aware that a new-generation Bronco is getting ready to debut.

“I’m really looking forward to what the new Bronco will look like,” Stewart said. “We kind of got an idea of what it’ll look like when it ran in the Baja 1000 late last year, but that was more of a prototype than anything. I want to see the real deal.”

Would Stewart like to see that real deal with some retro Free Wheeling stripes?

“I’m sure my ’79 Bronco would make a really good big brother,” Stewart said. “Seeing the new one decked out in black with those retro stripes, it would fit right in.”

NASCAR Hall of Famer To Compete in NASCAR Xfinity Series Race July 4 at Indianapolis

Tony Stewart will compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race July 4 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a Ford Mustang from Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR).

The three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee will headline the inaugural Xfinity Series event on Indianapolis’ 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course, with the 62-lap race serving as Stewart’s 28^th overall start at the Brickyard but his first in the Xfinity Series. Stewart has competed in 18 Brickyard 400s, five Indianapolis 500s and four IROC Series races. Stewart is a two-time Brickyard 400 winner (2005 and 2007) and a member of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame.

“Everyone knows what Indy means to me, so I can’t think of a better place to race on Fourth of July weekend,” said Stewart, who grew up 45 minutes from Indianapolis in the towns of Columbus and Rushville, Indiana. “It’s going to be cool making history by turning left and right in a stock car at the Brickyard, and the racing will be full of action and contact. Any time you can drive any racecar at the speedway is special, and you know I’m going for the win. The date is already circled on my calendar.”

The road course at Indianapolis has hosted INDYCAR, Formula One, sports cars and even MotoGP, but never NASCAR. And while Stewart is no stranger to Indianapolis, be it in open-wheel Indy cars or full-bodied stock cars, he has never driven the road course in any type of racecar. But Stewart has proven to be prolific when turning left and right. He has eight road-course wins in the NASCAR Cup Series, including his 49^th and final career victory in 2016 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. Stewart is second to only Jeff Gordon for the most road-course wins in the NASCAR Cup Series with a tally that includes Sonoma in 2001, 2005 and 2016 and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009.

Outside of the NASCAR Cup Series, Stewart has a road-course win in IROC and a near win in the prestigious Rolex 24 At Daytona. Stewart won Round III of IROC XXX on the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway road course en route to the 2006 series championship. He also competed in the prestigious Rolex 24 At Daytona five times, with a best finish of third in 2005 with co-drivers Jan Lammers and Andy Wallace. Stewart nearly won the 2004 Rolex 24 At Daytona, where with co-drivers Wallace and Dale Earnhardt Jr., they led 355 of the 526 laps available and had a commanding five-lap advantage before mechanical problems less than 20 minutes short of the finish ended their shot at victory and placed them a disappointing fourth.

Stewart’s most recent road-course outing came in a demonstration run last October at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. He took an SHR-prepared Ford Mustang specially outfitted with a passenger seat around the 3.426-mile, 20-turn layout and showed Haas F1 Team drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen how to wheel a 3,200-pound racecar around America’s only purpose-built Formula One track.

“It was a lot of fun for me to get in one of our Ford Mustangs and do that exhibition run at COTA,” Stewart said. “It kind of got my juices flowing to get back in a car again, and what better place to come back than Indianapolis Motor Speedway.”

The Indiana 150 will mark Stewart’s 95^th career Xfinity Series start and his first since the 2013 season opener at Daytona, where Stewart collected his 11^th Xfinity Series victory. It will also mark Stewart’s first NASCAR start since the 2016 NASCAR Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“People sometimes say, ‘We miss seeing you behind the wheel,” and I’m like, ‘Well, you’ve just got to go to different places now’,” said Stewart, who has collected 23 wins in an assortment of sprint car races since retiring as a full-time NASCAR driver at the end of the 2016 season. “I’m racing 100 times a year in a sprint car, but seeing some of these road-course races – especially the Roval at Charlotte – piqued my interest a bit, and running the stock car at COTA, it kind of fed my hunger. All of it has led me back to the place I’ve always called home – Indy.”

Details regarding Stewart’s car number, crew and primary partner will be announced closer to the race.

The Only School to Wear the Ford Oval Joins No. 98 NASCAR Xfinity Series Team and Driver Chase Briscoe

Ford Performance Racing School has partnered with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) to become a primary sponsor of its No. 98 NASCAR Xfinity Series entry with driver Chase Briscoe.

The No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang will debut Feb. 21-22 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and will be seen 15 more times as Briscoe competes for the Xfinity Series championship after winning rookie-of-the-year honors in 2019. The 25-year-old driver from Mitchell, Indiana, is a two-time Xfinity Series race winner and the 2016 ARCA Racing Series champion.

“The word ‘performance’ is more than just a name when it comes to Ford,” said Briscoe, who drives a magnetic gray Ford

F-150 Raptor when he’s not wheeling his No. 98 Ford Mustang in the Xfinity Series. “The success Ford has earned on the racetrack has gone directly into the development of its road cars, and its line of Ford Performance vehicles is the best of the best. The Ford Performance Racing School is an extension of that, providing Ford Performance vehicle owners the knowledge and skills to get the most from their car, truck or SUV.”

Ford Performance Racing School is the only school to wear the Ford oval, and Ford is the only full-line vehicle manufacturer to offer product-focused experiential driving programs exclusively to the owners of its complete line of performance vehicles, from cars to trucks to SUVs.

“When you have a racing school featuring the latest Ford Mustang GTs, there’s no better way to market our performance driving instruction than with a professional driver who races Mustangs,” said Dan McKeever, president, Ford Performance Racing School. “Chase Briscoe speaks the same language as our customers and demonstrates the capabilities of his racecar in every race he enters. His knowledge of how to operate his Ford Mustang didn’t happen overnight. It came with instruction and repetition, giving him confidence and understanding of his car’s features. That’s what we do for attendees of the Ford Performance Racing School, whether it’s with a new Ford Mustang on the racetrack or a Ford F-150 Raptor on the trails.”

Established in 2006, Ford Performance Racing School operates out of two venues – a dedicated off-road complex in Tooele, Utah, for the Raptor Assault owner program and an at-track operation at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. There, a fleet of Ford Mustang GTs modified with Ford Performance Parts is used for the high-performance driving school, while Fiesta STs, Mustang Shelby GT350s and GT500s are available for their respective track-based owner programs. Each regional facility has a satellite operation featuring Ford Performance SUVs, with locations in Park City, Utah, and Asheville, North Carolina.

About Ford Performance Racing School:
The Ford Performance Racing School is based in Tooele, Utah, approximately 30 minutes southwest of Salt Lake City, and has operations in Tooele and Concord, North Carolina. Along with high-performance driving instruction, the school conducts tire-training courses for BFGoodrich and Michelin, as well as product-focused experiential driving programs for owners of Ford Performance vehicles at no charge. Ford Performance Racing School is the only school to wear the Ford oval. For more information, please visit us online at www.FordPerformanceRacingSchool.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/FordPerformanceRacingSchool, on Twitter at @FPRacingSchool, on Instagram at @FordPerformanceRacingSchool and on YouTube. 

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 70 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter at @StewartHaasRcng, on Instagram at @StewartHaasRacing and on YouTube at www.YouTube.com/StewartHaasRacing.

Leading Service and Technology Solutions Company Joins No. 98 NASCAR Xfinity Series Team and Driver Chase Briscoe for 10 Primary Races with Associate Sponsorship at All Other Races

HighPoint, a leading customer service and technology solutions company, has partnered with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) to become the team’s official IT solutions provider and a primary sponsor of its No. 98 NASCAR Xfinity Series entry with driver Chase Briscoe.

The Sparta, New Jersey-based IT company will make its debut in the season-opening NASCAR Racing Experience 300 Feb. 15 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, with Briscoe driving the No. 98 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang. It will be the first of 10 races where HighPoint serves as the team’s primary sponsor. For all other races, HighPoint will be an associate sponsor.

“HighPoint is guided by 33 fundamentals, all of which are based on the principles of honesty, integrity and trust,” said Mike Mendiburu, president and CEO, HighPoint. “We’ve found a like-minded organization in Stewart-Haas Racing and a similarly focused driver in Chase Briscoe. When you combine our service culture with our long-term industry expertise, we’re able to create purpose that aligns in meeting our business objectives.”

Briscoe won the 2019 rookie-of-the-year title in the Xfinity Series and will race for a championship in 2020. The 25-year-old from Mitchell, Indiana, is a two-time winner in the Xfinity Series and the 2016 ARCA Racing Series champion.

“Even though we race stock cars, there’s nothing stock about what we do,” Briscoe said. “The science of our cars is impressive, but the technology that goes into building our Ford Mustangs and then making them perform is even more advanced. Our IT needs are pretty complex, and we demand a lot from our technology every day, whether it’s at the shop or at the track. HighPoint is more than just a sponsor – they’re a partner that helps us perform.”

HighPoint’s partnership with SHR also brings a strong business-to-business component to NASCAR, with the award-winning firm able to service any and all technology needs in a sport where approximately 140 Fortune 500 companies are invested.

“Walk around our race shop during the week and the garage area on a race weekend and you’ll see how our racecars and our entire industry relies on technology,” said Mike Verlander, vice president of sales and marketing, SHR. “From engine diagnostics to fuel-mileage calculations, our business is dependent on service and technology solutions. Every company needs what HighPoint provides, and we’ll work diligently to facilitate those introductions.”

“HighPoint’s objective is to serve our customers as a trusted advisor on how they acquire, consume and adopt technology,” Mendiburu added. “We’re able to highlight this methodology by partnering with Stewart-Haas Racing – a championship-winning race team that has achieved success by working together and leveraging all of its available resources.”

About HighPoint:
HighPoint is a leading customer service and technology solutions company. With its customer-centric, results-driven approach to digital transformation, you get technology that works, delivered by people you want to work with. HighPoint builds lasting relationships with clients, employees and partners based on honesty, integrity, trust and a mutual commitment to growth and success. The company, founded in 1996, is a minority-owned business headquartered in Sparta, New Jersey, serving markets in the tri-state region and southeastern United States, with a presence in Charlotte, North Carolina, and overseas in London. To contact us or learn more about our solutions, please visit www.HighPoint.com.

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 70 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

Stewart-Haas eSports, the simracing extension of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), has named its two drivers for the 2020 eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series, promoting one accomplished simracer from within its NASCAR team and selecting another veteran simracer from outside the United States.

Justin Bolton is a 24-year-old engineer on SHR’s NASCAR Xfinity Series team who helped Cole Custer to a career-high seven victories in 2019. Bolton has raced in the iRacing World Championship off and on since 2014, accumulating 46 starts with nine top-five finishes and a career-best points result of ninth in 2015. The Latrobe, Pennsylvania, native also has real-world racing experience, as Bolton has raced Legends cars and Late Model stock cars, winning the 2013 Fall Classic at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway in the Limited Late Model division.

Canadian Dylan Duval is a 24-year-old from Halifax, Nova Scotia. The graphic designer debuted in the iRacing World Championship in 2012 and is the first Canadian iRacing winner in series history, taking the virtual checkered flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2016. Duval has made 73 starts in his seven-year career, scoring eight top-fives and earning a best points finish of fifth in 2016.

Bolton will race Stewart-Haas eSports’ No. 10 Ford Mustang and Duval will pilot the team’s No. 41 Ford Mustang.

“I’m really proud to be a part of Stewart-Haas eSports and extend my overall role within Stewart-Haas Racing,” Bolton said. “It’s tough to get started in racing and even harder to stay there as a driver. iRacing has allowed me the opportunity to pursue my driving career while trialing some of my ideas from an engineering standpoint. Competing for Stewart-Haas eSports is an excellent way for me to pair my engineering role at SHR with my actual racing experience.”

“I’ve been competing as an independent in iRacing ever since I started in 2012,” Duval said. “To be able to continue my simracing career with such a prestigious organization in Stewart-Haas Racing and be a part of their growing esports involvement makes me genuinely excited. Stewart-Haas eSports has infrastructure and support I’ve never had before. To say I’m looking forward to the 2020 eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series is a massive understatement.”

The 2020 season will mark the 11^th year of the eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series and it is the only officially sanctioned esports series of NASCAR. It features the top-40 paved oval simracers in the world who compete in racecar replicas engineered from the ground up in cooperation with real-world race teams, applying accurate mechanical and dynamic models on exact copies of the world’s greatest racing circuits.

The 2020 eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series consists of 20 races and begins Feb. 11 at the virtual Daytona International Speedway. The series competes through October with the champion receiving their trophy, ring and check during pre-race ceremonies on Nov. 8 prior to the season-ending NASCAR Cup Series race Phoenix Raceway.

About Stewart-Haas eSports:

NASCAR is the ultimate test of driver acumen and mechanical know-how, where teams scrutinize every detail in a never-ending quest for speed. Stewart-Haas Racing has thrived in this environment, winning races and championships to firmly establish its presence in NASCAR. Stewart-Haas eSports emulates these efforts in the virtual world, where sim technology provides a visceral experience that amplifies the grit and determination of NASCAR drivers in the real world. Stewart-Haas eSports is a natural extension of Stewart-Haas Racing, where competition and simulation are one. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com and follow on Twitter @SHR_eSports. 

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 70 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

-SHR-

2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year Ready for Championship Run in 2020

After winning the 2019 rookie-of-the-year title in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Chase Briscoe will race for an Xfinity Series championship in 2020 as he returns to Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR).

Briscoe is a two-time winner in the Xfinity Series, with both of his victories coming in SHR-prepared Ford Mustangs. The 25-year-old from Mitchell, Indiana, finished fifth in the championship standings in 2019, earning a berth in the NASCAR Playoffs with a win, two poles and 13 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes in his first full season of Xfinity Series competition.

“This is the first time I’ll be able to run back-to-back, full seasons with the same team, and I couldn’t be happier to do it with Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Briscoe, a development driver with Ford Performance. “Their faith in me means a lot, and I want to reward them and Ford with more wins and a run for the championship.”

“We are thrilled to continue Chase’s development program with a second full season running the Xfinity Series for Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “Chase has proven himself well so far and we’re looking forward to continuing his progression as he competes for an Xfinity Series championship for SHR and Ford.”

Briscoe is a third-generation racer whose career began on dirt tracks in and around Indiana. Since he was 13, Briscoe has followed in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps, racing sprint cars on the rough and tumble bullrings of the Midwest. It’s a lineage that makes Briscoe a natural fit for SHR, as the Xfinity Series team is co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, an Indiana native who also began his career on dirt.

“We’re very proud to have Chase back with Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Stewart, who co-owns SHR with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas. “Chase is an Indiana kid with a dirt-track background who has shown he can race on asphalt as well as he can on dirt. We think very highly of him and look forward to a strong season in 2020.”

Briscoe has thrived in his transition to NASCAR, which began after a six-win campaign in the 2016 ARCA Racing Series earned him the championship by a whopping 535 points. He advanced to the NASCAR Truck Series in 2017, earning four poles and winning the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Briscoe’s 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes allowed him to make the playoffs, finish sixth in points and score the series’ rookie-of-the-year and most popular driver awards.

Briscoe parlayed a limited Xfinity Series schedule in 2018 where he drove for both SHR and Roush-Fenway Racing into a full-time drive in 2019 for SHR. He earned his first career Xfinity Series victory on Sept. 29, 2018 in just his 14^th career start when he won the inaugural race at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval. Briscoe scored his second Xfinity Series win in his 36^th career start July 27, 2019 at Iowa Speedway in Newton.

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 70 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

Rebranded eSports Team Will Compete in eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series

Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) has rebranded and bolstered its online sports presence with newly named Stewart-Haas eSports set to compete in the eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series beginning with the 2020 season.

Stewart-Haas eSports will field two teams in the eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series with drivers, numbers and car designs being announced at a later date. The 2020 season will mark the 11^th year of the eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series and it is the only officially sanctioned Esports series of NASCAR.

“We’ve put a lot of time and energy into our eSports efforts and we’re confident of the team we can put forth in the eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series,” said Mike Verlander, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Stewart-Haas Racing. “The authenticity of iRacing and its global reach is unparalleled. Ideally, our eSports presence facilitates even greater interest in our on-track product in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series, while simultaneously providing our partners with another strong engagement platform.”

The eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series features the top-40 paved oval sim racers in the world. They compete in racecar replicas engineered from the ground up in cooperation with real-world race teams, applying accurate mechanical and dynamic models on exact copies of the world’s greatest racing circuits.

The 2020 eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series begins in February at the virtual Daytona International Speedway and runs through October with the series champion receiving their trophy, ring and check during pre-race ceremonies on Nov. 8 prior to the season-ending NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway near Phoenix.

The 2020 season will mark Stewart-Haas eSports’ first year in the eNASCAR iRacing World Championship Series, but it won’t be the organization’s first stint in eSports. Stewart-Haas eSports won the inaugural eNASCAR Heat Pro League championship in October under its previous moniker, Stewart-Haas Gaming. The name change to Stewart-Haas eSports better aligns the outfit with the burgeoning eSports industry. Stewart-Haas eSports will defend its eNASCAR Heat Pro League title in 2020 where it will again field two drivers in the console-based series – one for Xbox One and the other for PlayStation 4. 

About Stewart-Haas Esports:

NASCAR is the ultimate test of driver acumen and mechanical know-how, where teams scrutinize every detail in a never-ending quest for speed. Stewart-Haas Racing has thrived in this environment, winning races and championships to firmly establish its presence in NASCAR. Stewart-Haas eSports emulates these efforts in the virtual world, where sim technology provides a visceral experience that amplifies the grit and determination of NASCAR drivers in the real world. Stewart-Haas eSports is a natural extension of Stewart-Haas Racing, where competition and simulation are one. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com and follow on Twitter @SHR_eSports.

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 70 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

21-Year-Old Racer Will Pilot No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang in 2020

Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) will promote Cole Custer from its NASCAR Xfinity Series team to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020, whereupon the nine-time Xfinity Series race winner will drive the team’s No. 41 Haas Automation Ford Mustang.

Custer has a chance to add the 2019 Xfinity Series championship to his resume, as the 21-year-old driver from Ladera Ranch, California, is set to compete for the series title on Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway as part of the Championship 4 with fellow Xfinity Series drivers Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell and Justin Allgaier.

“I was asked last year about this time what Cole needed to do to earn his place in the NASCAR Cup Series, and I said he needed to win,” said Gene Haas, co-owner of SHR with three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart. “Well, Cole has done that – a lot. He showed that he’s ready to compete at the next level and we’re giving him that opportunity.”

Custer finished second in last year’s Xfinity Series championship to Reddick, and 2019 has proven to be a breakout campaign for Custer. He came into the season with two wins – one in 2017 and another in 2018. This year alone, he has claimed seven victories, six poles, 16 top-fives, 23 top-10s and led 907 laps. Custer’s seven wins are the second-most this year, behind only Bell with eight wins. Custer’s six poles ties him with Bell for the most poles this season.

Custer, Bell and Reddick will resume their rivalry in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020, with each earning a promotion from their respective teams to NASCAR’s premier racing series.

“Cole has certainly earned his spot in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020,” Stewart added. “He’s consistently running up front, leading laps and winning races. The level of competition increases dramatically in the NASCAR Cup Series, but it’s where Cole belongs after having proven himself in the Xfinity Series.”

Custer has steadily advanced through NASCAR’s stepping-stone divisions, finding success in the NASCAR K&N Series, followed by the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series and the Xfinity Series. Being promoted to the NASCAR Cup Series is a natural evolution of his racing career, especially after such a strong 2019 season.

“This is the moment I’ve worked for ever since I first started racing,” said Custer, who began racing quarter midgets at age five. “I’ve learned a lot in these last three years in the Xfinity Series, and to be able to stay within Stewart-Haas Racing will make a steep learning curve a little less steep. I know the people, the culture and what’s expected of me. I’m ready for this challenge.” 

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization fields four entries in the NASCAR Cup Series and two entries in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.

Three-Time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Will Drive No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Mustang in Demonstration Run at Circuit of the Americas in Conjunction with Haas F1 Team

It’s the Beginning of a Texas-Sized Weekend for Stewart in Lone Star State as He Splits Time Between Austin and Fort Worth, Stock Cars and Winged Sprint Cars

For the first time since Nov. 20, 2016 when the checkered flag waved on the season-ending Ford EcoBoost 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Tony Stewart will be back in a stock car.

On Thursday, Oct. 31 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, Stewart will strap back into his No. 14 Haas Automation Ford Mustang from Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) to make a demonstration run on the 3.426-mile, 20-turn track in advance of the United States Grand Prix. But unlike any other time he drove in the NASCAR Cup Series in a career spanning 18 years that included three championships, 49 points-paying victories and more than 12,800 laps led, Stewart’s Ford Mustang will be outfitted with a passenger seat as he will show Haas F1 Team drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen how to wheel a 3,200-pound racecar around America’s only purpose-built Formula One track.

“It’s kind of hard to believe that it’s been three years since I last drove a stock car, but seeing some of these road-course races – especially the Roval at Charlotte – have piqued my interest a bit, so this is a good way to sort of satisfy that hunger,” said Stewart, whose racing exploits earned him membership into the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2020, where he will be officially inducted on Jan. 31. “I’ve never been to COTA. All I know about it is what I’ve seen on TV and on my iRacing simulator. I kind of like that. Even after two decades in NASCAR, there’s still new stuff to experience. I haven’t driven that racetrack and Kevin and Romain haven’t ever driven a stock car. We’ll figure it out together.”

While Stewart retired as a NASCAR driver following the 2016 season finale at Homestead, he did not retire from racing. The 48-year-old from Columbus, Indiana, has returned to his first passion – sprint car racing. Stewart has won 16 sprint car races in various series since 2017, including 10 this year in a schedule that has Stewart in a sprint car for nearly 100 races.

“People sometimes say, ‘We miss seeing you behind the wheel,” and I’m like, ‘Well, you’re going to the wrong places now’,” Stewart said. “I’m racing 100 times a year. You’ve just got to come watch me in a different car.”

It was in a sprint car where Stewart last served as a driving coach to Haas F1 Team when he showed Magnussen how to handle a 1,350-pound sprint car with 750 horsepower.

“I found my feet in that sprint car last October pretty quickly thanks to his advice, and also thanks to him jumping in the car and showing how it’s done before I got in,” said Magnussen prior to last year’s United States Grand Prix when he stopped by Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, North Carolina, for his dirt-track tutorial. “I had a great time with Tony. He’s a great driving instructor and he knows his way around these things. His experience and knowledge when it comes to stock cars is probably just as impressive.”

When it comes to driving a racecar with a roof and fenders, both Magnussen and Grosjean have limited experience. Grosjean drove a Ford GT1 in the 2010 FIA GT1 championship while Magnussen drove a GT2 car once and tested a DTM car, but he knows there’s a stark difference between those cars and a stock car.

“A DTM car is very aerodynamic,” Magnussen said. “They have a lot of downforce. A stock car hardly has any downforce. So, I don’t have any idea how it’ll be. I’ve never driven a NASCAR before. I’m pretty certain it’s going to be very different to the other car I drive around COTA. It’s going to be a very interesting experience. A NASCAR is such an iconic racecar. I’ve always been eager to try one. Of course, it’s usually in its element on an oval, but they do race on road courses, as well. It’ll be interesting to have a go and have a bit of fun.”

Despite his lack of stock-car experience, Grosjean is well aware of how different a stock car will feel, particularly when it comes to slowing it down.

“I think we just need to slam the brakes a bit earlier than we do with a Formula One car,” Grosjean said. “We’ll see how the engine responds to throttle application. I can’t wait. The sound of it’s going to be great. I think it’s going to be a good experience. I think having Tony Stewart helping us and giving us advice is going to be bloody amazing.”

When Stewart’s work at COTA is completed, he’ll jet over to Fort Worth, Texas, where by day he’ll be a NASCAR team owner and at night a sprint car driver.

Stewart co-owns SHR with Haas Automation founder Gene Haas, hence the connection to Haas F1 Team. SHR’s four NASCAR Cup Series drivers – Kevin Harvick, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer and Daniel Suárez – are all competing in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. SHR also fields two NASCAR Xfinity Series teams for drivers Cole Custer and Chase Briscoe, who will race on Saturday at Texas in the undercard O’Reilly Auto Parts 300.

But before any of those cars turn a wheel on the 1.5-mile oval, Stewart will turn left to go right on the .4-mile Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track. Stewart will climb behind the wheel of the same kind of sprint car Netflix viewers saw in Episode 9 of last year’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive series where Stewart showed Magnussen the fundamentals of dirt-track racing.

“It’s the best of both worlds for me,” said Stewart, who will compete Thursday and Friday night in the Texas Sprint Car Nationals. “I get to be with our NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series teams during the day, but each night I get to go over to the Dirt Track. It’s fun for our crew guys too. They’re racers who have dirt-track blood in their veins. They come over and watch the race. It just makes for a perfect weekend.”

It’s part of an intense four days in the Lone Star State beginning with Stewart’s stock car return at COTA on Thursday and includes an induction into the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame on Saturday.

“It does mean a lot to me,” said Stewart about this most recent accolade. “It’s nothing you think about as a driver. It’s not your aspiration while you’re driving to be in the Hall of Fame. When you’re a driver, all you want to do is win big races and win championships, and to still have that opportunity and still be able to race and compete at the same time as we’re joining the Hall of Fame is pretty cool.”

Stewart’s Texas schedule is as follows:

Thursday, Oct. 31:

• NASCAR demonstration laps at COTA (12-1 p.m. CDT)
• Texas Sprint Car Nationals at Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track (begins at 7 p.m. CDT)

Friday, Nov. 1:

• Texas Sprint Car Nationals at Texas Motor Speedway Dirt Track (begins at 7 p.m. CDT)

Saturday, Nov. 2:

• Induction into Texas Motor Speedway Hall of Fame at Texas Motor Speedway (begins at 11:30 a.m. CDT)
• Oversight of two-car NASCAR Xfinity Series team in O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (race starts at 7:30 p.m. CDT)

Sunday, Nov. 3:

• Oversight of four-car NASCAR Cup Series team in AAA Texas 500 (race starts at 2 p.m. CST)

About Stewart-Haas Racing:

Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization fields four entries in the NASCAR Cup Series – the No. 4 Ford Mustang for Kevin Harvick, the No. 10 Ford Mustang for Aric Almirola, the No. 14 Ford Mustang for Clint Bowyer and the No. 41 Ford Mustang for Daniel Suárez. The team also competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with two fulltime entries – the No. 00 Ford Mustang for Cole Custer and the No. 98 Ford Mustang for Chase Briscoe. For more information, please visit us online at www.StewartHaasRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/StewartHaasRacing, on Twitter @StewartHaasRcng and on Instagram @StewartHaasRacing.