1on1: Haas GM Joe Custer

When Gene Haas was sent away to federal prison to serve a 24-month sentence for pleading guilty to one count of tax evasion, the owner of Haas CNC Racing turned over the everyday operation of his race organization to Joe Custer, its general manager.

Custer helped broker the staggering deal that brought driver Tony Stewart on board as a partner, with Haas CNC essentially giving Stewart 50 percent of the company in exchange for all else that Stewart can bring to the table in terms of driver talent, sponsorship alliances and ownership expertise. Custer talked about the new partnership and the future of the company that soon will be known as Stewart-Haas Racing.

Q: Talk about your excitement in bringing Tony Stewart on board at the end of this season, and what it might mean for your struggling operation?

Custer: We feel like we've made the right investments in our company and we haven't quit. We keep coming back every year and every week, trying to get better and believing we'll get better. But we're not showing it. You can say what you want, but you get your report card every Sunday -- and I'm not happy. Our folks are not happy with our report card. And you have to ask Tony this, but for whatever reason he sees what I see and what I believe and that is, with him on board, we could win the Daytona 500 and win the championship next year. I believe that with all my heart.

Q: Is there anything that has surprised you about Tony?

Custer: I'm just telling you the truth, and that is that I'm just getting to know him. I know him from the sport. I don't know him as a person. I'm just now getting to know him a little bit, and it just keeps getting better. You hear about his passion and his drive, and that's what comes through right away. This guy, he thinks about racing the whole time. And the people around him who helped get him where he is -- whether it's his employees at Eldora (Speedway, the dirt track Stewart owns in Rossburg, Ohio) who worked overtime on a Wednesday night or whatever -- he knows about that. And that impresses me. I've built some companies ... and I see a guy in Tony who understands that it's about the people. You can't just write a check and expect to get the performance. You've got to have the commitment as owner, from the very top on down. You've got to have people who have skin in the game and can say, 'My name is on it now. And my name means I'm gonna be there.' I have a lot of respect for that.

Q: Was this deal just too good for him to pass up?

Custer: I think it is. You'd have to ask him, but we're gonna do everything we told him we would do to make him a successful car owner. I don't know -- like Tony has said -- if that's ever been done before. Look at some of the guys who are icons in the sport -- the A.J. Foyts, the Richard Pettys. I want Tony Stewart to be, on the owner side, at their level. And hopefully through our relationship, we can help him get to that level, where he is one of the dominant owners in the sport 20 years from now.

It used to be you could get it done on savvy. Now you've got to have the checkbook. You've got to have the financial resources behind you to be successful and give you that stability you need over the long haul. That's what we're about. We're manufacturers. We look at things over a long period of time. We feel like we can be a key to helping someone like Tony make his goals -- and ours -- become a reality.

Q: This obviously was a sweetheart deal for Stewart, who wasn't required to put in any money up front to gain half of your company. What is it about his name that makes it worth that much?

Custer: That's what I'm saying about him. He doesn't just put his name in; he puts his heart in. What is Tony Stewart's heart worth? I think it's worth more than we can put a number on it.

Q: Did you happen to go to Eldora this year and see him on the tractor before the Prelude to the Dream, trying to get the track just right?

Stewart-Haas Racing

• Deal Stewart couldn't refuse
• Gibbs grants Stewart release
• Menzer: Gamble worth taking
• Aumann: Driver-ownerships
• About Haas CNC Racing
• Stewart's ownership roles

Stewart-Haas video

• Stewart: The unveiling
• Stewart: Rest of my life
• Custer: Stewart's impact
• Custer: Franchise player

Custer: Yes, I was there. And oh yeah, I saw that. That was classic Tony Stewart. That's what you saw. It wasn't like he was out there trying to shift gears in the tractor because he had never done it, trying to put on a show or something. He was out there because he obviously has rolled up his sleeves and done that kind of thing before, and he wanted to try to make the track better for the competitors, so they would have a better race that night. The fan sees that. The fan gets it -- that it's not just talk or a photo op, where he goes, 'Hey, I'll jump on this tractor.' ... He was out there because he wanted to do it and he thought he could make the track better. That's what I saw at the Prelude.

Q: It seems like with Stewart it's often his way or the highway. How do you plan to deal with that aspect of it with him as your partner?

Custer: I have partners in my business. We have strong ideas, too. We have strong opinions. In my experience, you give your partners room. You let them make mistakes; you support them when they make mistakes; you help them when they're succeeding. You're a team. You're literally a team -- and that's whether it's a marriage or a business partnership. You don't criticize, you don't attack when they make mistakes and they're your partner; you support them. And that's what we intend to do. We intend to be Tony Stewart's partner. We're not going to tell him what to do; we're not going to be an irritant to Tony Stewart. We're going to be his partner.

Q: But there are times, aren't there, where you might need to help keep him in line a little?

Custer: I have complete confidence that it will work out. I can't remember a time when I didn't see and agree with Tony when he was in an emotional moment and did something that maybe was a little controversial. I don't remember seeing a moment where I would have had a real big problem with anything that he did. I've never seen that.

Q: This doesn't happen if you two don't click at least some on a personal level. What do you think Tony found in you that helped make it happen?

Custer: For the life of me, I don't know -- because I don't think I'm that likable of a guy. I think he looked at it from a more pragmatic approach. For as passionate as he is, he's a pretty sharp guy. I think he probably looked at what we've been doing over the years. We're not quitters. We've escalated our program internally over time. Our performance hasn't reflected that, yet we keep coming back and escalating the program. So I think what he saw was a diamond in the rough with us.

Other side of Tony

Many know one side of Tony Stewart. Those close to him say it's the unseen side that is unnoticed and unparalleled.

• Complete story, click here
• Special evening at Eldora

Q: So this coming together had nothing to do with any kind of personal relationship you've forged with Tony over recent weeks and months?

Custer: I think I'm a small player in the whole bit. I'm a person who tries to put the right people together in the right circumstances. Moving forward, I don't think he really looked too much at the personal level with me or Bob Murray. I think he looked more at what we do, not who we are ... what have our actions been, not what have our words been.

Q: On a different subject, you finally had your crew chiefs for the No. 66 and No. 70 cars back in Chicagoland. How do you feel about having Bootie Barker return on the 66 (along with team member Derick Jennings) and David Skog return on the No. 70 (along with team member Thomas Harris) after all served six-week suspensions for rules infractions discovered prior to the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in May?

Custer: It's a sigh of relief. Again, we have not been happy with our performance. But we think getting those guys back will help. And people will laugh, but I think that 70 car can get back in the top 35 (in owner points) before the end of the year. (It's currently 44th, while the 66 car is 36th). We talked about that internally, and that's one of our goals. We want to show the garage area that not quitting is what we're all about. These things can be overcome ... and that our people are capable.

Q: So what's the plan for who will drive the No. 70 in upcoming races, since you've used multiple drivers in it thus far?

Custer: Jason Leffler at Indianapolis and Pocono. Max Papis at Watkins Glen. And Michigan, we haven't decided yet. To be honest, we wanted to get our people back and get a few races under our belt. Because we don't feel our drivers have been the problem. We have to get ourselves re-acclimated and refocused, so (director of race operations) Matt Borland is wide open, working on that.

Q: With Tony coming on board as a driver and rumors that Ryan Newman will be your second driver, are you worried about all this becoming a distraction to your current drivers and crew members, all of whom have to be wondering if they will have a job come next season?

Custer: I've been talking to Scott (Riggs, who currently drives the 66) and Jason Leffler and Johnny Sauter (who have shared the 70 along with others). They know what's going on, and they know what decisions are being made. They're racers. If anything, I would think they would be challenged right now, along with all of our guys. The nice thing is that the challenge comes along with a pretty good carrot at the end, with Tony Stewart coming on board at year's end. Every one of those guys wants to win races. I think we really are in a good situation right now. I think it will motivate everyone.