Haas CNC Racing
Encyclopedia
Stewart-Haas Racing, formerly known as Haas CNC Racing, is a NASCAR
racing team based in Kannapolis, North Carolina
, which runs Chevrolet Impala
s. The team is owned by Tony Stewart
and Gene Haas
, and runs the #14 Office Depot
/Mobil 1
Chevrolet Impala
driven by Stewart and the #39 United States Army
/Haas Automation
/Tornados
/ Outback Steakhouse
Chevrolet Impala
driven by Ryan Newman
. The team receives engine and technical support from Hendrick Motorsports
.
. Similar to Stewart and Newman, the number 10 was selected as Patrick had raced the number during her karting days. The team will attempt 8-10 races beginning with the 2012 Daytona 500.
as the #70 with Johnny Sauter
driving. He ran in the top-ten for most of the day before a blown tire caused him to wreck. The 70 made another attempt later in the season at the Brickyard 400, but did not qualify. It was announced that the 70 would race full-time in 2007, with Yellow Transportation moving up from the Busch Series
and Johnny Sauter driving. Sauter and the team worked their way into the Top 35 in Owner's Points after the first five races (which guaranteed a spot in each race), but missed the Food City 500
at Bristol, yet still had top ten runs at Phoenix (9th) in the Subway Fresh Fit 500
and at Richmond (fifth) at the Chevy Rock & Roll 400
. Jeremy Mayfield
was chosen to be the 2008 driver. After the seventh race of the season, Jeremy Mayfield fell out of the top 35 in owner's points, so he and Haas CNC parted ways. Johnny Sauter
, along with Jason Leffler
, Tony Raines
, and others finished out the 2008 season.
For the 2009 season, the team switched to the #14 with Tony Stewart
driving. Office Depot
, moving from the #99 Roush Fenway team, and Old Spice
, brought by Stewart, came aboard as primary sponsors, with the number chosen in tribute to his racing hero, open wheel legend A. J. Foyt
. Even though the #70 finished outside of the Top 35 exemption rule, Stewart had the past championship provisional to utilize for the first five races of 2009
if he needed it. After five races, the team was solidly in the Top Ten in owner points. Stewart won the 2009 Sprint All-Star Race
, which was the first win for Gene Haas. A few weeks later, Stewart brought Stewart-Haas Racing its first points paying win at Pocono Raceway
. At the 2009 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona
, Stewart would win his second race under the Stewart-Haas banner. Stewart continued his winning ways with wins at Watkins Glen and Kansas. He managed a 6th place finish in points.
The 2010 season, Stewart struggled for the early portion early which prompted Old Spice to leave Stewart-Haas for the 2011 season. Stewart recovered later in the year to win 2 races at Atlanta and Auto Club Speedway and managed to make the chase. He finished 7th in points. It was later announced that Mobil 1 would be the replacement sponsor for Old Spice.
Stewart started the 2011 season with a dominate run at Las Vegas but a speeding penalty put the team out of contention late. Stewart and his team made the 2011 chase. During the 10 race Chase, the team won 5 races at Chicagoland, New Hampshire, Martinsville, Texas and Homestead to win the team's first Sprint Cup championship, tying the #99 Roush Fenway Racing team in points, but winning the tiebreaker by virtue of most victories.
For the 2012 season, both Office Depot and Mobil 1 will return to sponsor Stewart as well as having a minor presence on Ryan Newman's 39 car's right left and right rear quarter panels.
What is now the #39 car was Haas CNC Racing's original foray into NASCAR's top series. After being an associate sponsor of Hendrick Motorsports
for a number of years, Gene Haas launched his own Winston Cup team for the 2003 season in partnership with Hendrick. Haas fielded Pontiacs for Jack Sprague
, a former Hendrick driver, who brought sponsorship from NetZero
with him to the team; to go along with the sponsorship, the cars carried #0. Sprague posted a career-best fourteenth place finish at the 2003 Daytona 500
. Afterwards, however, the team began to struggle. After finishing 40th at Chicagoland
, Haas released Sprague in favor of John Andretti
, who finished 41st at Loudon
, 33rd at Pocono
, before qualifying 15th and finishing 19th at Watkins Glen International
. Because Andretti had a prior commitment with DEI
, Jason Leffler
drove the car at Indy
, finishing 33rd. Leffler lost his ride at Ultra Motorsports
, where he drove the #2 truck for the team in the Craftsman Truck Series, because of his start at Indianapolis, but Haas hired him to drive the car on a more permanent basis shortly thereafter. Five-time Cup race winner Ward Burton
was signed to drive the car toward the end of the season, as Leffler was reassigned to the Busch Series to drive Haas' 00 car. In the final four races, he finished 13th at Atlanta
and 18th at Rockingham
.
In the 2004 off-season, Pontiac announced it was leaving the sport, forcing the team to switch to Chevrolet
s. Burton began 2004
by finishing 17th at the Daytona 500 and then earned the team's first top-10 finish the next week with a 9th place finish at Rockingham. The team was also 9th place in points. Despite top-20 finishes in 2 of the next three weeks, the team began to slip in points. After a streak of bad races, the team re-emerged at California Speedway
with a 10th place finish. The team racked up 5 straight top-20 finishes and Burton earned outside pole at Indianapolis, but made contact early in the race and finally crashed to a 39th place finish. In October, Burton finished again in 10th place, this time at Talladega Superspeedway
. After Phoenix, and a 40th place finish, Burton was released by Haas and was replaced by Mike Bliss
. The 2002 Craftsman Truck Series champion took over and immediately finished 10th at Darlington, signing him for the 2005
season.
Bliss began the 2005 season by finishing the 18th in each of the first four races. Despite a 9th at Pocono
and 7th at Bristol
, he was released from the ride at season's end. In the off-season, Jeff Green
was signed to replace Bliss. Best Buy
was signed on as sponsor as NetZero left, and the team began the 2006 season with a renumbered #66 Chevrolet. The new car number was in honor of the year the new primary sponsor opened its first store, 1966. Green finished 28th in the final point standings in 2006, and was signed to continue driving the 66 in 2007.
On October 22, 2007 it was announced that Jeremy Mayfield
would take over the #66 car for Green for the final four races of 2007. During the off-season, Best Buy moved to Gillett Evernham Motorsports to sponsor Elliott Sadler
's #19 Dodge. Former Evernham driver Scott Riggs
took over the #66 in 2008 with State Water Heaters as the sponsor, coming over from Morgan-McClure Motorsports
.
For the 2009 season, the car became the #39 with Ryan Newman
driving (the #39 was Newman's midget car number), and received the owner points of the #66 car to stay in the top 35 for the first 5 races. The United States Army
signed on to sponsor the car, which was announced prior to the October Charlotte race
, for 23 races, with Haas Automation and others filling the remainder. The Army is also sponsoring 15 races for Newman's car for the 2010 season.
In his first year with Stewart Haas Racing Newman qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, finishing 9th in the final points standings despite not winning a race. He won his first race in the #39 at the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix in 2010. He won his second race at New Hampshire International Speedway
in 2011.
in October 2003 as the #00 Haas CNC Chevy in the Busch Series
. After starting 11th, Jason Leffler
finished 16th despite wrecking during the race. After a pair of 11th at Charlotte and Phoenix
, Leffler had his first top-five, starting 14th and finishing 4th.
The team would go full-time in 2004. After a slow start, Leffler would finish out of the top-15 twice: a 34th at California and a 17th at Bristol. Leffler also grabbed a pole at California, and a win at Nashville
. It was both Leffler's first win and Haas' first win. Despite being third in points, Leffler was released after signing with Joe Gibbs Racing
's Cup program for 2005. His immediate replacement was Blake Feese
, who had 7th place start at Kansas. However, he struggled in that race and all 4 races he ran for Haas. With Feese struggling, Gene looked for another driver, even as he moved Bootie Barker to the NEXTEL Cup Series operation. After Tony Raines
finished tenth at Phoenix, Justin Labonte
, took over for the balance of the season. Haas merged with Labonte Motorsports
for 2005
.
Justin Labonte ran 2005 in the #44 United States Coast Guard
Chevy. However, he had limited success. He was 7th at Talladega and 10th at Charlotte in the fall. Despite a 17th place finish in points, Labonte was released and once again Haas was searching for a new driver. Meanwhile, Sauter had a more eventful year, from being disqualified for an illegal carburetor following the O'Reilly 300 to getting a hometown victory in dominant fashion.
In 2006, Johnny Sauter drove the #00 Yellow Transportation Chevy were the team finished 8th in the final point standings. A late-season surge for Sauter resulted in the #00 Busch Series team moving up to the Cup series as the #70 team, and the team's Busch Series equipment were sold to Jay Robinson Racing
.
to be the driver development team for Haas CNC Racing which Blake 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 by Chad McCumbee
.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
racing team based in Kannapolis, North Carolina
Kannapolis, North Carolina
Kannapolis is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte. The population was 42,625 at the 2010 census, which makes Kannapolis the 20th largest city in North Carolina...
, which runs Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Impala
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
s. The team is owned by Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
and Gene Haas
Gene Haas
Gene Francis Haas is founder, president, and sole stockholder of Haas Automation, one of the world's leading CNC machine tool manufacturers. He also founded a NASCAR team, Haas CNC Racing now known as Stewart Haas Racing....
, and runs the #14 Office Depot
Office Depot
Office Depot is a supplier of office products and provides many services. The company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines, computers, computer software and office furniture, while its business services encompass copying, printing, document reproduction, shipping,...
/Mobil 1
Mobil 1
Mobil 1 is a brand name developed by the Mobil oil company and now marketed by ExxonMobil.It was introduced in 1974 as a 5w single viscosity fully synthetic motor oil advertised for use up to 25,000 miles. Later, the miles-specific recommendation was dropped and the product reformulated in other...
Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Impala
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
driven by Stewart and the #39 United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
/Haas Automation
Haas Automation
Founded in 1983 by Gene Haas, Haas Automation is a CNC machine tool manufacturer based in Oxnard, California. Haas Automation manufactures CNC vertical and horizontal machining centers, CNC lathes, rotary tables and 5C indexers. Sales outlets, referred to as Haas Factory Outlets are located all...
/Tornados
Ruiz Foods
Ruiz Foods is an American food production and service company based in Dinuba, California founded in 1964. As of April 2010, it was the top seller of frozen Mexican dishes in the US. Under the brand names of El Monterey and Tornados it produces around 200 frozen Mexican foods for grocery stores...
/ Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse
Outback Steakhouse is an American casual dining restaurant chain based in Tampa, Florida with over 1200 locations in 22 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It was founded in February 1988 in Tampa by Bob Basham, Chris T...
Chevrolet Impala
Chevrolet Impala
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
driven by Ryan Newman
Ryan Newman
Ryan Joseph Newman is a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He drives the #39 United States Army/Tornados/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for Stewart Haas Racing under crew chief Tony Gibson. Newman graduated from Purdue University in 2001 with a B.S. in vehicle structure engineering...
. The team receives engine and technical support from Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
.
Car #10 history
The #10 car will be run in a limited schedule in 2012. It will be sponsored by GoDaddy.com and driven by former IZOD IndyCar Series driver Danica PatrickDanica Patrick
Danica Sue Patrick is an American auto racing driver, model and advertising spokeswoman. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel racing, being the only woman to win in the IndyCar Series as well as holding the highest finish by a woman at the Indianapolis 500 of 3rd...
. Similar to Stewart and Newman, the number 10 was selected as Patrick had raced the number during her karting days. The team will attempt 8-10 races beginning with the 2012 Daytona 500.
Car #14 history
The car which is now the #14 debuted at the 2006 Coca-Cola 600Coca-Cola 600
The Coca-Cola 600, formerly known as the World 600, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend...
as the #70 with Johnny Sauter
Johnny Sauter
Johnathan Joseph Sauter is a NASCAR driver from Wisconsin. Sauter is the son of former NASCAR driver Jim Sauter, and the brother of NASCAR drivers Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter...
driving. He ran in the top-ten for most of the day before a blown tire caused him to wreck. The 70 made another attempt later in the season at the Brickyard 400, but did not qualify. It was announced that the 70 would race full-time in 2007, with Yellow Transportation moving up from the Busch Series
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
and Johnny Sauter driving. Sauter and the team worked their way into the Top 35 in Owner's Points after the first five races (which guaranteed a spot in each race), but missed the Food City 500
2007 Food City 500
The Food City 500 was the fifth race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season, and was run on Sunday, March 25, 2007 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.- Overview :...
at Bristol, yet still had top ten runs at Phoenix (9th) in the Subway Fresh Fit 500
2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500
The 2007 Subway Fresh Fit 500 was the eighth race of the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Season, and it ran on April 21, 2007 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. This race was , one of a handful of NASCAR events that use kilometers instead of laps or miles. The race also served as the...
and at Richmond (fifth) at the Chevy Rock & Roll 400
2007 Chevy Rock & Roll 400
The 2007 Chevy Rock & Roll 400 was the twenty-sixth and final "regular season" race in the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season. The race was run on Saturday night, September 8, 2007 at Richmond International Raceway in Henrico County, Virginia, just outside of Virginia's state capital...
. Jeremy Mayfield
Jeremy Mayfield
Jeremy Allen Mayfield is a former NASCAR driver who last competed in 2009 due to legal troubles and an indefinite suspension by NASCAR. Prior to 2009, Mayfield drove cars for the Sadler Brothers, T.W. Taylor, Cale Yarborough, Michael Kranefuss, Roger Penske, Ray Evernham, Bill Davis, and Gene Haas...
was chosen to be the 2008 driver. After the seventh race of the season, Jeremy Mayfield fell out of the top 35 in owner's points, so he and Haas CNC parted ways. Johnny Sauter
Johnny Sauter
Johnathan Joseph Sauter is a NASCAR driver from Wisconsin. Sauter is the son of former NASCAR driver Jim Sauter, and the brother of NASCAR drivers Tim Sauter and Jay Sauter...
, along with Jason Leffler
Jason Leffler
Jason Leffler is a NASCAR driver from Long Beach, California. Leffler began racing in the open-wheel ranks before moving to NASCAR's three major series...
, Tony Raines
Tony Raines
Floyd Anthony Raines is an American race car driver. He is a former National Touring Series champion in the now defunct American Speed Association and 1999 Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
, and others finished out the 2008 season.
For the 2009 season, the team switched to the #14 with Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
driving. Office Depot
Office Depot
Office Depot is a supplier of office products and provides many services. The company's selection of brand name office supplies includes business machines, computers, computer software and office furniture, while its business services encompass copying, printing, document reproduction, shipping,...
, moving from the #99 Roush Fenway team, and Old Spice
Old Spice
Old Spice is a prominent American brand of male grooming products. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble, which acquired the brand in 1990 from the Shulton Company.-History:...
, brought by Stewart, came aboard as primary sponsors, with the number chosen in tribute to his racing hero, open wheel legend A. J. Foyt
A. J. Foyt
Anthony Joseph Foyt, Jr., or as he is universally known as in motorsports circles, A. J. Foyt , is a retired American automobile racing driver. He raced in numerous genres of motorsports. His open wheel racing includes USAC Champ cars and midget cars. He raced stock cars in NASCAR and USAC. He won...
. Even though the #70 finished outside of the Top 35 exemption rule, Stewart had the past championship provisional to utilize for the first five races of 2009
2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 61st season of professional stock car racing in the United States, which began at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, with the 2009 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, a race for the top six teams of the four brands in the 2008...
if he needed it. After five races, the team was solidly in the Top Ten in owner points. Stewart won the 2009 Sprint All-Star Race
NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXV
The NASCAR Sprint Showdown and Sprint All-Star Race XXV was the 25th Anniversary running of NASCAR's special non-points race involving winners of the 2008 and 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races through the 2009 Southern 500 presented by GoDaddy.com as well as Sprint All-Star Race XV-XXIV winners,...
, which was the first win for Gene Haas. A few weeks later, Stewart brought Stewart-Haas Racing its first points paying win at Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
. At the 2009 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, one of the most prestigious races in NASCAR. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races of ARCA, AMA Superbike, Grand-Am and Motocross...
, Stewart would win his second race under the Stewart-Haas banner. Stewart continued his winning ways with wins at Watkins Glen and Kansas. He managed a 6th place finish in points.
The 2010 season, Stewart struggled for the early portion early which prompted Old Spice to leave Stewart-Haas for the 2011 season. Stewart recovered later in the year to win 2 races at Atlanta and Auto Club Speedway and managed to make the chase. He finished 7th in points. It was later announced that Mobil 1 would be the replacement sponsor for Old Spice.
Stewart started the 2011 season with a dominate run at Las Vegas but a speeding penalty put the team out of contention late. Stewart and his team made the 2011 chase. During the 10 race Chase, the team won 5 races at Chicagoland, New Hampshire, Martinsville, Texas and Homestead to win the team's first Sprint Cup championship, tying the #99 Roush Fenway Racing team in points, but winning the tiebreaker by virtue of most victories.
For the 2012 season, both Office Depot and Mobil 1 will return to sponsor Stewart as well as having a minor presence on Ryan Newman's 39 car's right left and right rear quarter panels.
Car #39 history
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
for a number of years, Gene Haas launched his own Winston Cup team for the 2003 season in partnership with Hendrick. Haas fielded Pontiacs for Jack Sprague
Jack Sprague
Jack Sprague is a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver. He is currently a free agent. Sprague has finished in the top-ten in the points standings almost every year he has raced in the trucks, and won three championships in 1997, 1999, and 2001 while driving for Hendrick Motorsports.-...
, a former Hendrick driver, who brought sponsorship from NetZero
NetZero
NetZero is an Internet service provider based in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. It is a subsidiary of United Online, owner of Juno Online Services and BlueLight Internet Services. The current chairman, president, and CEO of United Online is Mark Goldston.- History :NetZero launched in...
with him to the team; to go along with the sponsorship, the cars carried #0. Sprague posted a career-best fourteenth place finish at the 2003 Daytona 500
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 is a -long NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is one of four restrictor plate races on the Cup schedule....
. Afterwards, however, the team began to struggle. After finishing 40th at Chicagoland
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is a tri-oval speedway in Joliet, Illinois, USA, southwest of Chicago. The speedway opened in 2001 and currently hosts NASCAR racing including the opening event in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup. Until 2011, the speedway also hosted the IZOD IndyCar Series, recording...
, Haas released Sprague in favor of John Andretti
John Andretti
John Andretti is an American race car driver. He has won in CART, IMSA GTP, Rolex Sports Car Series and NASCAR. He was the last NASCAR driver to win a Cup race for the famous Petty Enterprises team.-Andretti family:...
, who finished 41st at Loudon
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
, 33rd at Pocono
Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
, before qualifying 15th and finishing 19th at Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation...
. Because Andretti had a prior commitment with DEI
Dale Earnhardt, Inc.
Dale Earnhardt, Inc. was a NASCAR-related organization located in Mooresville, North Carolina, United States working to continue the legacy of Dale Earnhardt. It was originally formed in 1980 by seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt who died in a crash on the closing lap of the 2001...
, Jason Leffler
Jason Leffler
Jason Leffler is a NASCAR driver from Long Beach, California. Leffler began racing in the open-wheel ranks before moving to NASCAR's three major series...
drove the car at Indy
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
, finishing 33rd. Leffler lost his ride at Ultra Motorsports
Ultra Motorsports
Ultra Motorsports was a NASCAR Winston Cup & Craftsman Truck Series racing team. Jim Smith helped start the team and the Craftsman Truck Series. It ran full time in the Craftsman Truck Series from 1994 to 2005, earning many wins and a 2005 championship with Ted Musgrave...
, where he drove the #2 truck for the team in the Craftsman Truck Series, because of his start at Indianapolis, but Haas hired him to drive the car on a more permanent basis shortly thereafter. Five-time Cup race winner Ward Burton
Ward Burton
John Edward Burton III is an American NASCAR auto racer, who has a total of five career Sprint Cup wins. He last drove the #4 State Water Heaters Chevrolet Impala SS for Morgan-McClure Motorsports in 2007. He is the older brother of fellow NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, against whom he first...
was signed to drive the car toward the end of the season, as Leffler was reassigned to the Busch Series to drive Haas' 00 car. In the final four races, he finished 13th at Atlanta
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
and 18th at Rockingham
North Carolina Speedway
Rockingham Speedway, formerly North Carolina Motor Speedway and later North Carolina Speedway is a racetrack located near Rockingham, North Carolina...
.
In the 2004 off-season, Pontiac announced it was leaving the sport, forcing the team to switch to Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
s. Burton began 2004
2004 in NASCAR
The 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup season began on Saturday, February 7 and ended on Sunday, November 21. Kurt Busch with Roush Racing driving a Ford was the Nextel Cup champion....
by finishing 17th at the Daytona 500 and then earned the team's first top-10 finish the next week with a 9th place finish at Rockingham. The team was also 9th place in points. Despite top-20 finishes in 2 of the next three weeks, the team began to slip in points. After a streak of bad races, the team re-emerged at California Speedway
California Speedway
Auto Club Speedway is a two-mile , low-banked, D-shaped oval superspeedway in Fontana, California which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since 1997. The track was also used for open wheel racing events until 2005. The racetrack is located near the former locations of Ontario Motor Speedway and...
with a 10th place finish. The team racked up 5 straight top-20 finishes and Burton earned outside pole at Indianapolis, but made contact early in the race and finally crashed to a 39th place finish. In October, Burton finished again in 10th place, this time at Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
. After Phoenix, and a 40th place finish, Burton was released by Haas and was replaced by Mike Bliss
Mike Bliss
Michael Bliss is a NASCAR driver who has run in all three major series. He currently drives the #19 Chevrolet Impala for TriStar Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He began racing at age 10...
. The 2002 Craftsman Truck Series champion took over and immediately finished 10th at Darlington, signing him for the 2005
2005 in NASCAR
The 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series began on Saturday, February 12. The ten race Chase for the Nextel Cup started with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 18, and ended on Sunday, November 20, with the Ford 400....
season.
Bliss began the 2005 season by finishing the 18th in each of the first four races. Despite a 9th at Pocono
Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
and 7th at Bristol
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
, he was released from the ride at season's end. In the off-season, Jeff Green
Jeff Green (NASCAR)
Jeffery Green is an American stock car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He currently drives part time in the Nationwide Series for Tri-Star Motorsports in their #44 entry and the Sprint Cup Series for Front Row Motorsports in their #55 entry.Green's 1990 Nashville Speedway USA championship...
was signed to replace Bliss. Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
was signed on as sponsor as NetZero left, and the team began the 2006 season with a renumbered #66 Chevrolet. The new car number was in honor of the year the new primary sponsor opened its first store, 1966. Green finished 28th in the final point standings in 2006, and was signed to continue driving the 66 in 2007.
Jeremy Mayfield
Jeremy Allen Mayfield is a former NASCAR driver who last competed in 2009 due to legal troubles and an indefinite suspension by NASCAR. Prior to 2009, Mayfield drove cars for the Sadler Brothers, T.W. Taylor, Cale Yarborough, Michael Kranefuss, Roger Penske, Ray Evernham, Bill Davis, and Gene Haas...
would take over the #66 car for Green for the final four races of 2007. During the off-season, Best Buy moved to Gillett Evernham Motorsports to sponsor Elliott Sadler
Elliott Sadler
Elliott William Barnes Sadler is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #2 OneMain Financial Chevrolet Impala for Kevin Harvick Inc. in the Nationwide Series. He is one of only 23 drivers to have won in each of NASCAR's top three series...
's #19 Dodge. Former Evernham driver Scott Riggs
Scott Riggs
Russell Scott Riggs is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the #81 Dodge Charger for Whitney Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.-Early career:...
took over the #66 in 2008 with State Water Heaters as the sponsor, coming over from Morgan-McClure Motorsports
Morgan-McClure Motorsports
Morgan-McClure Motorsports is an American auto racing team that competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series full time until 2007 and now occasionally attempts races. It has been in operation for 27 years, starting in 1982. The team is most notable for running the #4 from 1983 to 2009.-Starting...
.
For the 2009 season, the car became the #39 with Ryan Newman
Ryan Newman
Ryan Joseph Newman is a driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He drives the #39 United States Army/Tornados/Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for Stewart Haas Racing under crew chief Tony Gibson. Newman graduated from Purdue University in 2001 with a B.S. in vehicle structure engineering...
driving (the #39 was Newman's midget car number), and received the owner points of the #66 car to stay in the top 35 for the first 5 races. The United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
signed on to sponsor the car, which was announced prior to the October Charlotte race
2008 Bank of America 500
The 2008 Bank of America 500, was the thirty-first race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and race five of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, serving as the only Saturday night race in the Chase as of 2008. The 334-lap, event was held on October 11 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina...
, for 23 races, with Haas Automation and others filling the remainder. The Army is also sponsoring 15 races for Newman's car for the 2010 season.
In his first year with Stewart Haas Racing Newman qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, finishing 9th in the final points standings despite not winning a race. He won his first race in the #39 at the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix in 2010. He won his second race at New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
in 2011.
Nationwide / Busch Series
The Haas Busch Team made its debut at KansasKansas Speedway
Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway was built in 2001 and currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at the speedway until 2011...
in October 2003 as the #00 Haas CNC Chevy in the Busch Series
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
. After starting 11th, Jason Leffler
Jason Leffler
Jason Leffler is a NASCAR driver from Long Beach, California. Leffler began racing in the open-wheel ranks before moving to NASCAR's three major series...
finished 16th despite wrecking during the race. After a pair of 11th at Charlotte and Phoenix
Phoenix International Raceway
Phoenix International Raceway, also known as PIR, is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. The track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the Indycar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series...
, Leffler had his first top-five, starting 14th and finishing 4th.
The team would go full-time in 2004. After a slow start, Leffler would finish out of the top-15 twice: a 34th at California and a 17th at Bristol. Leffler also grabbed a pole at California, and a win at Nashville
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee , United States, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. On August 2, 2011, it was announced that Nashville Superspeedway will not host any NASCAR events in 2012. It is a concrete oval track 1 1/3 miles in...
. It was both Leffler's first win and Haas' first win. Despite being third in points, Leffler was released after signing with Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing is a group of NASCAR racing teams owned and operated by former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991, and J. D. Gibbs, his son...
's Cup program for 2005. His immediate replacement was Blake Feese
Blake Feese
Blake Feese , is a second generation American racecar driver. Previously he had won races in ARCA and USAC, before running the NASCAR Busch Series on a part-time schedule with Hendrick Motorsports in 2005 as part of their driver development program, before he was released.Feese began racing at the...
, who had 7th place start at Kansas. However, he struggled in that race and all 4 races he ran for Haas. With Feese struggling, Gene looked for another driver, even as he moved Bootie Barker to the NEXTEL Cup Series operation. After Tony Raines
Tony Raines
Floyd Anthony Raines is an American race car driver. He is a former National Touring Series champion in the now defunct American Speed Association and 1999 Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series...
finished tenth at Phoenix, Justin Labonte
Justin Labonte
Justin Labonte is a former NASCAR Busch Series driver. He is the son of NASCAR driver Terry Labonte, and the nephew of Bobby Labonte. He currently does not have a ride in the Nationwide Series, and is rumored to be racing late models on North Carolina short tracks...
, took over for the balance of the season. Haas merged with Labonte Motorsports
Labonte Motorsports
Labonte Motorsports is a former part-time Winston Cup team and full-time Busch Series team. It was owned by the Labonte racing family from Corpus Christi, Texas and competed for several years under various incarnations.- 1980s :...
for 2005
2005 in NASCAR Busch Series
The 2005 season of the NASCAR Busch Series began with the Hershey's Take 5 300 at Daytona International Speedway and concluded with the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Martin Truex Jr...
.
Justin Labonte ran 2005 in the #44 United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
Chevy. However, he had limited success. He was 7th at Talladega and 10th at Charlotte in the fall. Despite a 17th place finish in points, Labonte was released and once again Haas was searching for a new driver. Meanwhile, Sauter had a more eventful year, from being disqualified for an illegal carburetor following the O'Reilly 300 to getting a hometown victory in dominant fashion.
In 2006, Johnny Sauter drove the #00 Yellow Transportation Chevy were the team finished 8th in the final point standings. A late-season surge for Sauter resulted in the #00 Busch Series team moving up to the Cup series as the #70 team, and the team's Busch Series equipment were sold to Jay Robinson Racing
Jay Robinson Racing
Jay Robinson Racing is a racing team that competes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Currently, they field the #28 MAXelence Chevrolet Impala for Derrike Cope. Formed in 1995, they moved to the Nationwide Series in 2000, where they have attempted both full-time and part-time schedules.- Car #28...
.
Craftsman / Camping World Truck Series
The team had an agreement for Camping World Truck Series team MRD MotorsportsMRD Motorsports
MRD Motorsports is an American NASCAR team. The team is owned by Dave Malcolmson but has been inactive as of 2009.Malcolmson originally started the team in the Allison Legacy Series as a driver before retiring as an owner. Malcolmson would debut his team in the Goody's Dash Series before moving up...
to be the driver development team for Haas CNC Racing which Blake Bjorklund
Blake Bjorklund
Blake Bjorklund is an American stock car racer. His parents are Craig and Diane Bjorklund. In addition to racing stock cars, he has also raced snowmobiles...
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 by Chad McCumbee
Chad McCumbee
Chad McCumbee is an American stock car driver. He currently drives the #1 ModSpace Ford Fusion for Andy Belmont Racing in the ARCA Racing Series and has run four full seasons in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. He is also known for his portrayal of Dale Earnhardt, Jr...
.