Haas CNC Racing was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series. Founded in 2002 by Gene Haas, the founder of Haas Automation, the team was established after Haas—then a sponsor of Hendrick Motorsports—decided to start his own operation. The team ceased operations after the 2008 season, merging into Stewart–Haas Racing when three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart joined as a driver and acquired a 50% ownership stake.

The team was based and headquartered in Kannapolis, North Carolina – roughly 10 miles (16 km) north of Charlotte Motor Speedway – alongside sister team and Formula One entrant Haas F1 Team.

History After years as an associate sponsor of Hendrick Motorsports, Gene Haas announced in April 2002 that he would start his own Winston Cup team for the 2003 season. Hendrick agreed to supply cars, engines, and technical support. Haas signed Jack Sprague—who had spent six years driving in the Busch and Craftsman Truck Series for Hendrick—as the team's driver. Sprague brought his NetZero sponsorship with him, and the car was designated to No. 0. Initially, the team operated out of a small shop rented from Hendrick Motorsports. After running Chevrolets in late 2002, Haas CNC joined several General Motors teams in switching to Pontiac for 2003, before returning to Chevrolet when Pontiac exited the sport. Haas CNC also fielded a part-time Busch Series team in 2003, expanding to full-time in 2004.

On July 10, 2008, it was announced that two-time Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart would join the team as both a driver and co-owner for the 2009 season, acquiring a 50% stake. Dissatisfied with Joe Gibbs Racing’s switch from Chevrolet to Toyota, Stewart wanted to return to racing with Chevrolet. Meanwhile, team owner Haas sought Stewart’s star power to attract sponsors and talent. The team was ultimately shut down and merged into Stewart–Haas Racing.

Sprint Cup Series

Car No. 66 history

Jack Sprague and Multiple Drivers (2002–2003)

The No. 0 car, sponsored by NetZero and driven by Jack Sprague, debuted as a Pontiac under Haas in 2003. Sprague opened the season with a career-best 14th-place finish at the Daytona 500, but the team soon began to struggle. After a 40th-place finish at Chicagoland, Sprague was released and replaced by John Andretti, who finished 41st at New Hampshire and 33rd at Pocono, before qualifying 15th and finishing 19th at Watkins Glen. Due to Andretti’s prior commitment with Dale Earnhardt, Inc., Jason Leffler drove the car at the Brickyard 400, finishing 33rd. Although Leffler lost his ride in the No. 2 truck for Ultra Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series because of that start, Haas soon hired him as the team’s full-time driver.

Ward Burton (2003–2004)

Ward Burton took over driving duties late in the 2003 season after eight years with Bill Davis Racing, while Jason Leffler moved to the Busch Series to drive the No. 00 car. Burton's best finishes in the final four races were 13th at Atlanta and 18th at Rockingham.

In the 2004 off-season, Pontiac exited NASCAR, prompting the team to switch back to Chevrolet. Burton started the year with a 17th-place finish at the Daytona 500 and followed it with a 9th at Rockingham, putting the team 9th in points. Despite two top-20s in the next three races, the team began to slide. A 10th-place run at California broke the slump, followed by five consecutive top-20 finishes. Burton earned an outside pole at the Brickyard 400 but crashed early, finishing 39th. He scored another 10th-place finish at Talladega in October but ended up 40th at Phoenix. Mike Bliss (2004–2005)

Burton was soon replaced by 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Mike Bliss, who debuted with a 10th-place finish at Darlington and was signed for the 2005 season. That year, Best Buy joined as an associate and four-race primary sponsor, with the U.S. Coast Guard backing one race. Bliss started the season with four consecutive 18th-place finishes and later posted top-10s at Pocono (9th) and Bristol (7th), but was released at season's end.

Jeff Green (2006–2007)

For 2006 Jeff Green replaced Mike Bliss as the driver. Best Buy became the primary sponsor, taking over after NetZero's departure. The car number was changed to 66 in honor of the year Best Buy opened its first store in 1966. Green finished 28th in the 2006 standings and was re-signed for the 2007 season. However, on October 22, 2007, it was announced that Jeremy Mayfield would replace Green for the final four races of the year. Following the season, Best Buy left to sponsor Elliott Sadler’s No. 19 Dodge at Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

Scott Riggs (2008)

In 2008, former Evernham driver Scott Riggs took over the No. 66 car, bringing sponsorship from State Water Heaters after moving from Morgan–McClure Motorsports. Additional sponsors included Hunt Brothers Pizza and Haas Automation. Although Riggs initially struggled, his performance improved following the mid-summer announcement that Tony Stewart would become the team's new co-owner. Riggs finished the season inside the top 35 in points but was ultimately released in favor of Ryan Newman, who had recently left Penske Racing to join the newly formed Stewart–Haas Racing team.

Car No. 66 results Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Pts 2003 Jack Sprague 0 PontiacDAY14CAR34LVS26ATL37DAR40BRI35TEX22TAL34MAR29CAL39RCH26CLT22DOV41POC22MCH19SON39DAY31CHI40 39th 2056 John AndrettiNHA41POC33GLN19 Jason LefflerIND33MCH35BRI26DAR26RCH28NHA27DOV25TALDNQKAN30CLT35MAR27 Ward BurtonATL13PHO41CAR18HOM32 2004 ChevyDAY17CAR9LVS26ATL13DAR18BRI28TEX32MAR22TAL40CAL10RCH20CLT16DOV19POC17MCH30SON24DAY40CHI19NHA29POC31IND39GLN37MCH30BRI18CAL31RCH40NHA25DOV37TAL10KAN30CLT19MAR28ATL30PHO40 31st 3106 Mike BlissDAR10HOM40 2005DAY18CAL12LVS16ATL18BRI37MAR36TEX22PHO20TAL36DAR19RCH37CLT15DOV18POC35MCH27SON39DAY20CHI34NHA21POC9IND11GLN26MCH37BRI7CAL27RCH15NHA36DOV30TAL32KAN15CLT35MAR41ATL13TEX17PHO31HOM12 29th 3262 2006 Jeff Green 66 DAY42 CAL24 LVS18 ATL26 BRI15 MAR25 TEX18 PHO18 TAL14 RCH18 DAR32 CLT12 DOV28 POC37 MCH33 SON19 DAY26 CHI27 NHA26 POC35 IND38 GLN15 MCH27 BRI24 CAL22 RCH41 NHA43 DOV20 KAN30 TAL7 CLT16 MAR8 ATL23 TEX13 PHO37 HOM22 29th 3253 2007 DAY36 CAL30 LVS25 ATL35 BRI6 MAR36 TEX26 PHO6 TAL13 RCH24 DAR22 CLT42 DOV30 POC32 MCH36 SON42 NHA6 DAY37 CHI27 IND43 POC19 GLN20 MCH22 BRI27 CAL23 RCH33 NHA27 DOV31 KAN20 TAL13 CLT32 MAR28 31st2704 ATL TEX PHO HOM 2008 Scott Riggs DAY21 CAL21 LVS36 ATL18 BRI22 MAR41 TEX27 PHO26 TAL16 RCH19 DAR17 CLT28 DOV39 POC21 MCH33 NHA34 DAYDNQ CHI20 IND25 POC29 GLN34 MCH15 BRI27 CAL25 RCH31 NHA19 DOV25 KAN42 TAL7 CLT19 MAR21 ATL43 TEX25 PHO38 HOM14 30th 2797 Max Papis SON

Car No. 70 history Multiple Drivers (2002–2004) The No. 60 car debuted in 2002 as a fifth entry for Hendrick Motorsports, with Gene Haas listed as the owner. Jack Sprague, Hendrick's Busch Series driver, attempted six races (qualifying for three) to prepare for a full-time run with Haas. His best finish was 30th at the season finale in Homestead–Miami.

In 2003, while Sprague and Haas ran the No. 0 Pontiac full-time, the No. 60 Chevy returned under the Hendrick banner with David Green. Sponsored by Haas Automation, with support from Kellogg's and NetZero, the team initially targeted restrictor plate races. They failed to qualify for the first two, then finished 32nd at Daytona and 35th at Talladega, running full NetZero branding after the No. 0 car missed the field. Later that year, Brian Vickers made his Cup debut in the No. 60 at Charlotte, qualifying 20th and finishing 33rd before moving full-time to Hendrick's No. 25.

In 2004, Jason Leffler drove the No. 60 at Indianapolis but crashed early, finishing last.

Johnny Sauter (2006–2007)

The No. 70 car made its debut as the second Haas entry at the 2006 Coca-Cola 600, driven by Johnny Sauter. He ran in the top 10 for most of the race before a blown tire caused him to crash. The team made another attempt later that season at the Brickyard 400 but failed to qualify. In 2007, it was announced that the No. 70 would compete full-time, with Sauter and sponsor Yellow Transportation moving up from the Busch Series. After the first five races, Sauter and the team worked their way into the top 35 in Owner's Points—securing a guaranteed starting spot—but missed the Food City 500 at Bristol. Despite that setback, they earned top-10 finishes at 9th in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 and 5th in the Chevy Rock & Roll 400.

Multiple drivers (2008)

In 2008, Jeremy Mayfield began the season driving for the team after competing in several races in their No. 66 car in late 2007. After falling out of the Top 35 in Owner’s Points following the seventh race, Mayfield and Haas CNC split. The rest of the season was completed by Johnny Sauter, Jason Leffler, Tony Raines, and others.

Car No. 70 results Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Pts 2002 Jack Sprague 60 Chevy DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX MAR TAL CAL RCH CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY CHI NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOVKAN35 TALCLTDNQ MARATLDNQCAR35PHODNQHOM30 57th 189 2004 Jason Leffler DAY CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX MAR TAL CAL RCH CLT DOV POC MCH SON DAY CHI NHA POC IND43 GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH NHA DOV TAL KAN CLT MAR ATL PHO DAR HOM 88th 34 2006 Johnny Sauter 70 Chevy DAY CAL LVS ATL BRI MAR TEX PHO TAL RCH DARCLT24 DOV POC MCH SON DAY CHI NHA POCINDDNQ GLN MCH BRI CAL RCH NHA DOV KAN TAL CLT MAR ATL TEX PHO HOM 77th 0 2007DAY16CAL18LVS39ATL29BRIDNQMAR31TEX22PHO9TAL30RCH36DAR29CLT27DOV32POC40MCH26SON31NHA14DAY18CHI22IND37POC36GLN23MCH29BRI42CAL30RCH5NHA28DOV42KAN23TAL12CLT23MAR29ATL32TEX27PHO15HOM41 33rd 2875 2008 Jeremy MayfieldDAYCALLVSATLBRIMARTEX 43rd 2048 Johnny SauterPHO37RCH33DARDNQCLT35NHA37DAY28RCH41NHA20PHO37 Ken SchraderTAL42 Jason LefflerDOVDNQPOC40MCHDNQCHI27IND32 Scott RiggsSONDNQ Tony RainesPOC18MCH31BRI17CALDNQDOV28KAN23TAL34CLT40MAR31ATL32TEXDNQHOM37 Max PapisGLN43

Busch Series

Car No. 00 history Jason Leffler (2003–2004)

The Haas team debuted in the 2003 season with the No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet. Troy Cline attempted four races, failing to qualify twice before making the field at Fontana using Aramendia Motorsports’ No. 79 owner points. Jason Leffler took over for the final four races, debuting at Kansas with an 11th-place start and 16th-place finish despite a wreck. He followed with 11th-place finishes at Charlotte and Phoenix, then earned his first top-five by finishing 4th after starting 14th.

The team went full-time in 2004. After a slow start, Leffler had just two finishes outside the top 15—a 34th at California and a 17th at Bristol. He also earned a pole at California and scored his and Haas’ first win at Nashville. Leffler signed with Joe Gibbs Racing for a Cup ride in 2005 and was released from Haas CNC before the end of 2004. Hendrick development driver Blake Feese replaced him, starting seventh at Kansas, but struggled in all four of his starts. As Feese faltered, Haas continued to search for a driver and promoted crew chief Bootie Barker to the Cup program. Tony Raines finished tenth at Phoenix, and Justin Labonte drove the remaining races.

Justin Labonte (2005)

In 2005, Justin Labonte drove full-time in the newly renumbered No. 44 U.S. Coast Guard Chevy for Labonte-Haas Motorsports, a merger between Haas CNC and Labonte Motorsports. He had limited success, with a best finish of 7th at Talladega and 10th at Charlotte. After finishing 17th in points, he was released at season’s end. The No. 44, a Labonte family number, was not fielded by Haas again.

Johnny Sauter (2006)