The end of Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) may be near, but the rise of the Haas Factory Team (HFT) is almost upon us. However, if they want to compete in 2025, they’re going to need drivers. On Saturday, the reborn race team finally revealed its full roster driver roster for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, signing two from rival teams.
Sheldon Creed joins from Joe Gibbs Racing to pilot the No. 00 Ford Mustang while Sam Mayer comes over from JR Motorsports to pilot the No. 41 Ford Mustang (formerly the No. 98). Creed, who earned pole position for this weekend’s Xfinity Series event at Michigan, has never won an Xfinity race despite ten runner-up finishes and nearly 400 laps led.
“I’ve won in every division I’ve raced in and I feel like I’ve earned my place in the Xfinity Series, but that’s not enough,” declared Creed. “I want to win in the Xfinity Series.”
As he pursues that elusive first victory this weekend at Michigan, Creed will be on the front row with outgoing Stewart-Haas driver Riley Herbst. Herbst’s future plans are not yet known, but he is said to be ”looking at opportunities in all three levels” of the sport (Cup, Xfinity and Trucks).
Mayer has enjoyed a bit more fortune than Creed in the Xfinity Series, having earned six wins and making Championship 4 last year. He also won back-to-back ARCA East titles in 2019-2020. The move to Haas will be a major change for Mayer, who has never driven for any team but JR Motorsports since first joining the Xfinity Series over 100 races ago.
2025 will be Mayer’s fourth full-time season as an NXS driver, but he remains adamant that “Cup is my ultimate goal.” In order to get to that point, Mayer believes it was time to make a change and, in his words: “Get out of my comfort zone, challenge myself, and hone my race skills so that when that Cup moment comes, I’m ready.”
While Herbst’s future plans remain obscured in mystery, everyone knows where Haas driver Cole Custer is going – back to Cup where he will continue to drive under the Haas banner.
Creed, who won the 2020 NASCAR Truck Series title, talked about watching Custer step down to the Xfinity Series, only to immediately win three races and the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series title. It was Custer himself who helped convince Creed that Haas was a good option for next year.
“When I talked with him about the setup of the organization, everything he said resonated with me,” explained Creed. “I feel like (the) Haas Factory Team is a place where I can succeed, and where Sam and I can work together to win races and be championship contenders.”
Mayer echoed those sentiments, adding: “The Haas team got Cole Custer ready for his moment, and it’s a place that will help get me and Sheldon ready for our moments.”