Texas A&M partners with Stewart-Haas at final NASCAR Cup Series Races
This story was originally published by Texas A&M Today.
Texas A&M University will take the green flag with Stewart-Haas Racing, the championship-winning NASCAR team co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart and Haas Automation founder Gene Haas, at two of the final NASCAR Cup Series races of the 2024 season. At the track and on the global NASCAR stage, the novel partnership provides Texas A&M University with opportunities to showcase the Aggie Core Values, veterans support and its mission of advancing knowledge and human achievement, driving the economic engine of the state of Texas and the nation, and preparing students to be lifelong learners and leaders in today’s global society.
The partnership kicks off this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where Chase Briscoe will drive the No. 14 Texas A&M Ford Mustang Dark Horse in Sunday’s South Point 400 NASCAR Cup Series race. Then, in the season finale Nov. 10 at Phoenix Raceway, Josh Berry will drive the No. 4 Texas A&M Ford Mustang Dark Horse with a livery reflective of Texas A&M’s commitment to celebrating and serving our nation’s veterans. Both races will be broadcast live on NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
“With millions of engaged fans, this partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing represents a fantastic opportunity to put the Aggie Spirit front and center and further show the nation what Texas A&M University stands for,” said R. Ethan Braden, vice president, chief marketing and communications officer at Texas A&M. “We look forward to cheering on Chase Briscoe in Aggie Maroon at Las Vegas and Josh Berry at the season finale in Phoenix, where we’ll showcase Texas A&M’s appreciation for our country and our military prior to Veterans Day. Texas A&M has a rich history of leadership and selfless service, and we are committed to serving well those who have served.”
Texas A&M University is driven by a tradition of excellence and passion to continually improve. It is a destination of choice for those who serve or have served to pursue higher education. The link with NASCAR is an appropriate one as the sanctioning body has long honored its nation’s service members, most notably with its annual NASCAR Salutes program, a tenured initiative featuring important associations with Honor and Remember, which recognizes fallen service members and their families, and Sound Off, a nonprofit organization that works to reduce veteran suicide through free and anonymous mental health for veterans and service members.
“We’re honored to partner with Texas A&M University, an institution that stands for respect, excellence and leadership,” said Joe Custer, president of Stewart-Haas Racing. “We’re thrilled to have this opportunity to help tell Texas A&M’s story, particularly its long history of supporting our nation’s veterans.”
Recently named the top university in Texas and the No. 11 public university in the nation by The Wall Street Journal, Texas A&M’s forward momentum is evidenced by a number of recent recognitions. In a testament to its dedication to academic excellence and innovation, the College of Engineering was named a top-10 public engineering school by U.S. News & World Report, with the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering ranked best in the nation. The college also secured the top spot for engineering research expenditures in fiscal year 2023, with $444.7 million in spending. The Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering — part of both the College of Engineering and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences — is also ranked No. 1 in the nation.
In addition to providing an exemplary student experience, the university is educating the next generation of leaders who will put Texas A&M’s Core Values into practice, as reflected by the remarkable number of Aggies leading America’s companies. Texas A&M is tied for No. 1 among the nation’s public universities and No. 5 overall for the number of graduates serving as CEOs of Fortune 500 companies today.
Texas A&M Veteran Support
With roots as a senior military college, Texas A&M has proudly supported our nation’s veterans and military-affiliated students for more than a century. In addition to currently educating nearly 1,300 student veterans, many of the university’s top leaders served in the military, including Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III, a retired four-star general and former chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force. Eight Aggies have received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration.
Through the Don and Ellie Knauss Veteran Resource and Support Center, Texas A&M offers resources to help students navigate the admissions process, maximize their Veteran Affairs education benefits, and meet their career and employment goals after graduation, setting the standard for student veteran support across the nation.
Texas A&M is also home to the Corps of Cadets, the largest uniformed student body in the nation, outside of the military academies. Although there is no military obligation tied to being a member, the Corps consistently commissions more officers into the country’s armed forces than any other school in the country, outside of the service academies. The Corps develops well-educated leaders of character and offers programs specifically designed to prepare graduates for leadership roles in the U.S. military, corporate America, government service and the private sector.
About Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a community of scholars dedicated to solving diverse, real-world problems through determination and innovation. Texas A&M opened its doors in 1876 as the state’s first public institution of higher education and is today a tier-one research institution holding the elite triple land-, sea- and space-grant designations. Research conducted at Texas A&M represented annual expenditures of more than $1 billion in fiscal year 2022. Texas A&M’s more than 79,000 students and over half a million former students are known for their commitment to service, as well as dedication to the university’s Core Values and rich traditions.
About Stewart-Haas Racing
Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation — the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, two NASCAR Xfinity Series championships and more than 100 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. For more information, visit StewartHaasRacing.com and on social media at Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.