Stewart-Haas Racing
In July 2008, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Tony Stewart announced he was merging with Haas CNC Racing for the 2009 season as both an owner and driver. The new formation, Stewart-Haas Racing, will field two entries in the Sprint Cup Series effective 2009.
Soon thereafter, Stewart-Haas Racing announced that Daytona 500 Champion Ryan Newman would join Stewart in 2009 to complete the driver lineup. Stewart will pilot the No.14 Chevrolet while Newman will be behind the wheel of the No.39 Chevrolet. Both drivers are no stranger to success. In the Sprint Cup Series, the pair have combined for 46 wins and 53 pole positions.
Sharing the ownership duties with Stewart is Haas Automation. The California–based automation company is the largest CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) machine tool manufacturer in the world with 2008 projected sales topping $1 billion. Haas’ corporate interest in motorsports began through sponsorships of top NASCAR and Formula 1 teams. However, in 2002, the company decided to invest in team ownership and formed Haas CNC Racing. Today, Haas Automation uses its race team not only as a marketing tool for its products, but also as a means to showcase the capabilities of its CNC machines which are used in manufacturing the team’s high-tech racecars.
Stewart-Haas Racing is a technological leader in NASCAR. Located in Kannapolis, North Carolina, the newly constructed 150,000-square-foot shop facility boasts cutting edge equipment including a research and development department filled with Haas CNC machines for prototype production, and a seven-post, full-scale track simulator to model racetrack conditions. In early 2008, construction completed on an 180-mph rolling-road wind tunnel. Named Windshear Incorporated, it will be the first of its kind in North America, and only the third rolling road wind tunnel of its scale in existence.
Visit the official Stewart-Haas Racing website at www.stewarthaasracing.com.