A significant change is taking place at Haas Factory Team for the 2026 season and beyond. The organization will depart Ford Racing and join Team Chevy.
According to a press release, this change will affect both the Cup and O'Reilly Auto Parts Series programs. Haas Factory Team will field one Chevrolet in the Cup Series and two Chevrolets in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. HFT will have a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports.
The move to Chevrolet marks a reunion for the organization. The original Haas CNC Racing team fielded Chevrolet entries in the Cup Series starting in 2002. The team then continued working with Chevrolet after partnering with Tony Stewart to form Stewart-Haas Racing.
The team fielded Chevrolet Cup Series cars through the 2016 season and celebrated two championships. Stewart won the first in 2011 and then Kevin Harvick won the second in 2014.
"Personally, I have a deep history with Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports," owner Gene Haas said. "Both helped in establishing not only my presence as a team owner in NASCAR, but also the presence of Haas Automation.
"Together, we were able to build a race team that competed for wins and championships while growing the use of Haas CNC machinery throughout the racing and manufacturing industries."
Haas Factory Team also used this announcement to set its driver lineup for the 2026 season. Cole Custer will return to the No. 41 Cup car as he moves to Chevrolet. Sam Mayer will continue to drive the No. 41 and Sheldon Creed will continue to drive the No. 00 in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Photo credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography
Mayer and Creed both have history with Chevrolet. Mayer drove for the Bowtie during his time in the ARCA Menards Series, and he won five races. He won one race in the Truck Series for Chevy. He also drove for Chevy team JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series for three-and-a-half seasons and won seven races.
Creed spent three full Truck Series seasons with Chevy team GMS Racing. He won eight races and the 2020 championship. He then spent two Xfinity seasons with Richard Childress Racing.
"We have a long history with Gene and his organization, including winning championships together, so this feels almost like a homecoming," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports.
"Our relationship started many years ago with Haas CNC machines in our facilities, and I've always admired the passion that he and Joe Custer have for the sport and their desire to win. We're proud to support Haas Factory Team and thrilled to work together to deliver more victories for Chevrolet."