Haas CNC Racing

Template:Short description Template:Infobox NASCAR team 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. 0 history

File:Nascarphx13.jpg

2004 No. 0 NetZero Chevrolet

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.

Car No. 0 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	Owners	Pts
2003	Jack Sprague	0	Pontiac	DAY 14	CAR 34	LVS 26	ATL 37	DAR 40	BRI 35	TEX 22	TAL 34	MAR 29	CAL 39	RCH 26	CLT 22	DOV 41	POC 22	MCH 19	SON 39	DAY 31	CHI 40																			39th	2056
	John Andretti																					NHA 41	POC 33		GLN 19
	Jason Leffler																							IND 33		MCH 35	BRI 26	DAR 26	RCH 28	NHA 27	DOV 25	TAL DNQ	KAN 30	CLT 35	MAR 27
	Ward Burton																																			ATL 13	PHO 41	CAR 18	HOM 32
2004			Chevy	DAY 17	CAR 9	LVS 26	ATL 13	DAR 18	BRI 28	TEX 32	MAR 22	TAL 40	CAL 10	RCH 20	CLT 16	DOV 19	POC 17	MCH 30	SON 24	DAY 40	CHI 19	NHA 29	POC 31	IND 39	GLN 37	MCH 30	BRI 18	CAL 31	RCH 40	NHA 25	DOV 37	TAL 10	KAN 30	CLT 19	MAR 28	ATL 30	PHO 40			31st	3106
	Mike Bliss																																					DAR 10	HOM 40
2005				DAY 18	CAL 12	LVS 16	ATL 18	BRI 37	MAR 36	TEX 22	PHO 20	TAL 36	DAR 19	RCH 37	CLT 15	DOV 18	POC 35	MCH 27	SON 39	DAY 20	CHI 34	NHA 21	POC 9	IND 11	GLN 26	MCH 37	BRI 7	CAL 27	RCH 15	NHA 36	DOV 30	TAL 32	KAN 15	CLT 35	MAR 41	ATL 13	TEX 17	PHO 31	HOM 12	29th	3262

Car No. 60 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.

Car No. 60 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	Owners	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	DOV	KAN 35	TAL	CLT DNQ	MAR	ATL DNQ	CAR 35	PHO DNQ	HOM 30	57th	189
2004	Jason Leffler	60	Chevy	DAY	CAR	LVS	ATL	DAR	BRI	TEX	MAR	TAL	CAL	RCH	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	DAY	CHI	NHA	POC	IND 43	GLN	MCH	BRI	CAL	RCH	NHA	DOV	TAL	KAN	CLT	MAR	ATL	PHO	DAR	HOM	88th	34

Car No. 66 history

File:EM P1020818 (2412669876).jpg

Scott Riggs in the No. 66 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2008

Jeff Green (2006–2007)

The No. 66 car debuted during the 2006 off-season, with Jeff Green replacing 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	Owners	Pts
2006	Jeff Green	66	Chevy	DAY 42	CAL 24	LVS 18	ATL 26	BRI 15	MAR 25	TEX 18	PHO 18	TAL 14	RCH 18	DAR 32	CLT 12	DOV 28	POC 37	MCH 33	SON 19	DAY 26	CHI 27	NHA 26	POC 35	IND 38	GLN 15	MCH 27	BRI 24	CAL 22	RCH 41	NHA 43	DOV 20	KAN 30	TAL 7	CLT 16	MAR 8	ATL 23	TEX 13	PHO 37	HOM 22	29th	3253
2007				DAY 36	CAL 30	LVS 25	ATL 35	BRI 6	MAR 36	TEX 26	PHO 6	TAL 13	RCH 24	DAR 22	CLT 42	DOV 30	POC 32	MCH 36	SON 42	NHA 6	DAY 37	CHI 27	IND 43	POC 19	GLN 20	MCH 22	BRI 27	CAL 23	RCH 33	NHA 27	DOV 31	KAN 20	TAL 13	CLT 32	MAR 28					31st	2704
	Jeremy Mayfield																																			ATL 40	TEX 22	PHO 41	HOM 26
2008	Scott Riggs			DAY 21	CAL 21	LVS 36	ATL 18	BRI 22	MAR 41	TEX 27	PHO 26	TAL 16	RCH 19	DAR 17	CLT 28	DOV 39	POC 21	MCH 33		NHA 34	DAY DNQ	CHI 20	IND 25	POC 29	GLN 34	MCH 15	BRI 27	CAL 25	RCH 31	NHA 19	DOV 25	KAN 42	TAL 7	CLT 19	MAR 21	ATL 43	TEX 25	PHO 38	HOM 14	30th	2797
	Max Papis																		SON 35

Car No. 70 History

File:Johnny Sauter practicing for the 2007 Ford 400 (Homestead-Miami Speedway) (cropped).jpg

Johnny Sauter in the No. 70 in 2007.

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	Owners	Pts
2006	Johnny Sauter	70	Chevy	DAY	CAL	LVS	ATL	BRI	MAR	TEX	PHO	TAL	RCH	DAR	CLT 24	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	DAY	CHI	NHA	POC	IND DNQ	GLN	MCH	BRI	CAL	RCH	NHA	DOV	KAN	TAL	CLT	MAR	ATL	TEX	PHO	HOM	77th	0
2007				DAY 16	CAL 18	LVS 39	ATL 29	BRI DNQ	MAR 31	TEX 22	PHO 9	TAL 30	RCH 36	DAR 29	CLT 27	DOV 32	POC 40	MCH 26	SON 31	NHA 14	DAY 18	CHI 22	IND 37	POC 36	GLN 23	MCH 29	BRI 42	CAL 30	RCH 5	NHA 28	DOV 42	KAN 23	TAL 12	CLT 23	MAR 29	ATL 32	TEX 27	PHO 15	HOM 41	33rd	2875
2008	Jeremy Mayfield			DAY 23	CAL 39	LVS 16	ATL 39	BRI 30	MAR 32	TEX 38																														43rd	2048
	Johnny Sauter										PHO 37		RCH 33	DAR DNQ	CLT 35					NHA 37	DAY 28								RCH 41	NHA 20								PHO 37
	Ken Schrader											TAL 42
	Jason Leffler															DOV DNQ	POC 40	MCH DNQ				CHI 27	IND 32
	Scott Riggs																		SON DNQ
	Tony Raines																							POC 18		MCH 31	BRI 17	CAL DNQ			DOV 28	KAN 23	TAL 34	CLT 40	MAR 31	ATL 32	TEX DNQ		HOM 37
	Max Papis																								GLN 43

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)

In 2006, Johnny Sauter was hired to drive the No. 00 car, sponsored by Yellow Transportation.After finishing 8th in the Busch Series standings, the team moved up to the Cup Series as the No. 70. The Busch program was shut down, and its equipment sold to Jay Robinson Racing.

Car No. 00 results

Year	Team	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	Owners	Pts
2003	Troy Cline	00	Chevy	DAY	CAR	LVS DNQ	DAR	BRI	TEX DNQ	TAL	NSH	CAL	RCH 38	GTY	NZH	CLT	DOV	NSH	KEN	MLW	DAY	CHI	NHA	PPR	IRP	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV									52nd	777
	Jason Leffler																														KAN 16	CLT 11	MEM	ATL 22	PHO 11	CAR 22	HOM 4
2004				DAY 8	CAR 32	LVS 22	DAR 14	BRI 32	TEX 6	NSH 9	TAL 5	CAL 34	GTY 6	RCH 11	NZH 7	CLT 4	DOV 14	NSH 1*	KEN 7	MLW 15	DAY 13	CHI 7	NHA 3	PPR 3	IRP 3	MCH 7	BRI 17	CAL 10	RCH 4	DOV 4									12th	3661
	Blake Feese																														KAN 24	CLT 27	MEM 40	ATL 25
	Tony Raines																																		PHO 10
	Justin Labonte																																			DAR 19
		44																																			HOM 17
2005				DAY 18	CAL 19	MXC 25	LVS 13	ATL 42	NSH 13	BRI 40	TEX 33	PHO 20	TAL 7	DAR 18	RCH 32	CLT 22	DOV 23	NSH 29	KEN 11	MLW 16	DAY 34	CHI 41	NHA 41	PPR 13	GTY 13	IRP 22	GLN 16	MCH 17	BRI 23	CAL 36	RCH 22	DOV 26	KAN 25	CLT 10	MEM 12	TEX 24	PHO 22	HOM 21	17th	3285
2006	Johnny Sauter	00		DAY 35	CAL 13	MXC 6	LVS 15	ATL 12	BRI 10	TEX 14	NSH 27	PHO 36	TAL 8	RCH 11	DAR 34	CLT 11	DOV 21	NSH 14	KEN 32	MLW 9	DAY 21	CHI 17	NHA 6	MAR 5	GTY 18	IRP 42	GLN 19	MCH 35	BRI 11	CAL 31	RCH 15	DOV 24	KAN 35	CLT 6	MEM 4	TEX 35	PHO 11	HOM 10	8th	3794

Camping World Truck Series and driver development

The team had an agreement for Camping World Truck Series team MRD Motorsports 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.