INDIANAPOLIS — Cole Custer will return to NASCAR's Cup Series next season as the driver for Haas Factory, the team announced Saturday before Brickyard 400 qualifying.
The 26-year-old, who was the 2020 Cup Series Rookie of the Year, will drive the No. 41 Ford. Team officials said they would have a technical alliance with RFK Racing with additional help coming from Ford Performance.
“I’ve grown up with Haas Automation and having their name on my firesuit is something I take a tremendous amount of pride in,” Custer said. “I’m driven to win for Gene and everyone at Haas Automation because they’ve been such a big part of my career.”
Custer is the defending Xfinity Series champion and current points leader after earning his first win of the season last weekend at Pocono. He has 22 career wins across multiple series, getting his first Cup win at Kentucky in his 20th career start.
But Custer lost his Cup ride at Stewart-Haas Racing after the 2022 season and spent the past two seasons racing in the second-tier Xfinity series.
This year, he's back with SHR, which will shutter after this season. That team is run primarily run by Joe Custer, Cole’s father. The elder Custer will remain president of Haas Factory Team.
“Cole has represented Haas Automation for more than half his life and he’s delivered results every step of the way," team owner Gene Haas said in a statement. “He just wins, and he’s proven that repeatedly. He brings home trophies and he races people clean. He’s earned a lot of respect from his peers, and he’s a genuine personality whose hard work resonates with our customers."
Custer got his first win for Haas Automation in 2011 as part of a USAC series designed for young drivers.
(NOTE: The video at the top of this story is from a previous report on fans spending time in Speedway before Brickyard 400.)