Haas CNC Racing

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

; 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

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

Car No. 66 history

;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

Car No. 70 History

;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

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

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.

References

References

1. (June 1, 2002). "NASCAR Driver Jack Sprague - Interview". [[TEN: The Enthusiast Network]].
2. (April 19, 2002). "Haas Automation, Jack Sprague announce new team".
3. Caraviello, David. (November 21, 2011). "Stewart's Race Team Rises from Tatters to Title".
4. (January 21, 2003). "Haas CNC Racing to team with Pontiac".
5. (February 8, 2004). "Team-by-team Previews". [[Orlando Sentinel]].
6. (February 25, 2003). "BUSCH: Haas CNC Racing to field No. 00 for Cline". [[Motorsport.com]].
7. (February 17, 2006). "Best Buy Haas CNC Racing adds SanDisk as Sponsor". LetsGoDigital.
8. (October 9, 2003). "Ward Burton moves to Haas CNC in 2004". [[Motorsport.com]].
9. (July 10, 2008). "Tony Stewart to partner with Haas Racing in 2009".
10. (July 11, 2008). "Fifty Percent Ownership Was Key To Stewart's Deal With Haas CNC". [[SportsBusiness Daily]].
11. (July 9, 2008). "Stewart granted release from Gibbs, will move to Haas". [[ESPN.com]].
12. (July 16, 2003). "Sprague/Haas CNC Racing part ways". motorsport.com.
13. (July 16, 2003). "Haas names Andretti to drive at Loudon". [[Motorsport.com]].
14. (August 28, 2003). "Leffler named driver No. 0 rest of season". [[Motorsport.com]].
15. (October 9, 2003). "Ward Burton moves to Haas CNC in 2004".
16. (November 9, 2004). "Bliss Replaces Burton At Haas/CNC". [[Motor Racing Network]].
17. (December 11, 2004). "Hass Tabs Bliss". [[Motor Racing Network]].
18. (January 25, 2005). "Best Buy Teams With Haas". [[Motor Racing Network]].
19. (November 17, 2002). "Homestead: Jack Sprague race report".
20. (September 29, 2003). "Talladega II: Green/Leffler race report".
21. (October 26, 2003). "Vickers celebrates 20th birthday in style in Atlanta".
22. (August 6, 2004). "Indianapolis Brickyard 400 Friday report: Leffler fastest on opening day of Brickyard 400 practice". [[Motorsport.com]].
23. Release, Team Press. "NASCAR.COM - Best Buy on board with Green's No. 66 - Jan 12, 2006".
24. (April 26, 2003). "BUSCH: Fontana starting lineup". [[Motorsport.com]].
25. (June 13, 2004). "USCH: Leffler wins first race at Nashville". [[Motorsport.com]].
26. (October 9, 2004). "'Front Row Joe' posts his second consecutive pole". [[The Augusta Chronicle]].
27. (February 4, 2005). "BUSCH: Labonte-Haas Motorsports adds sponsor".
28. (January 21, 2006). "BUSCH: Daytona Preseason Thunder, day 11 report".