7th-place finish at Talladega and a 10th-place finish at Charlotte in the fall. After a 17th-place finish in points, Labonte was released at the end of the season. The No. 44, a Labonte family number, would not be fielded again by Haas. Johnny Sauter (2006) In 2006, Johnny Sauter was hired to drive the No. 00, with Yellow Transportation coming on board to sponsor the ride. The team finished 8th in the final point standings. A late-season surge for Sauter resulted in the No. 00 Busch Series team moving up to the Cup Series as the No. 70 team, and the team's Busch Series program was shut down and the equipment was sold to Jay Robinson Racing. Cole Custer (2017–2019, 2023–present) On July 25, 2016, Stewart-Haas announced plans to reopen its Xfinity Series program starting in 2017. On September 16, 2016, the team announced that Camping World Truck Series driver Cole Custer would drive the car in 2017, with Haas Automation as the primary sponsor and crew chief Jeff Meendering. At the 2017 Ford EcoBoost 300, Custer led almost every lap, won Stage 1 and 2, and earned Stewart-Haas Racing their second career Xfinity win. In 2018, Cole Custer had six poles and one race win. Custer made the final four in the championship playoffs after winning at Texas Motor Speedway on a last-lap battle with Tyler Reddick, who would later beat Custer for the championship. In 2019, Custer won seven races, five poles, and finished second again to Reddick at Homestead and in the final points standings. Following the end of the season, Custer was promoted to the Cup Series and the team's resources were directed to the No. 98. On November 16, 2022, it was announced that Ryan Preece would replace Cole Custer in the No. 41 in the Cup Series, as Cole Custer would get demoted back to the Xfinity series to drive a 2nd full time entry for Stewart-Haas Racing. Car No. 00 Results Car No. 41, 98 history Part Time (2017–2018) It was announced that Kevin Harvick would run six races in a second Stewart-Haas car, the No. 41 Mustang, in 2017, starting with the March 4 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hunt Brothers Pizza was announced to be the primary sponsor for four of the six races, with Bad Boy Buggies being the sponsor for Atlanta, and FIELDS Inc. the sponsor for Watkins Glen