The university’s presence in motorsports is a season-long story and celebration of purpose, patriotism, teamwork and the people who engineer a brighter, safer world for us all.
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, April 16, 2025 – Texas A&M University is revving its engines for a return to NASCAR in 2025 through a season-long partnership with Haas Factory Team (HFT), building on the university’s 2024 involvement with the Gene Haas-owned organization. Additionally, Texas A&M will make its NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut as a sponsor of fan-favorite driver Felix Rosenqvist.
The university’s renewed presence in motorsports enables Texas A&M, one of the country’s most consequential, top-ranked public universities renowned for producing both service-minded citizens and world-changing research – from sea to land to space – to step forward, to serve and stand together as a force for good with some of the nation’s largest and most passionate fan communities.
Texas A&M has agreed to become a season-long associate sponsor of the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford Mustang driven by Cole Custer. The partnership will capture a focal pole position when the university serves as the team’s primary sponsor at the Coca-Cola 600, one of NASCAR’s most iconic races, featuring patriotic military tributes, activities and performances.
Texas A&M will also prominently appear on the uniform and helmet of Felix Rosenqvist, one of INDYCAR’s most popular drivers. Affectionately known as FRO, he is in his seventh season in INDYCAR and his second with Meyer Shank Racing. Rosenqvist currently sits fourth in the championship point standings and is widely regarded as one of the fastest drivers in the series. The helmet placement will afford Texas A&M significant onboard camera coverage on FOX (network) during INDYCAR races, via the INDYCAR app and across social media.
While these opportunities offer season-long exposure, together, they reach their apex on Sunday, May 25, the day dubbed the “Greatest Day in Motorsports.” Two races, 1,100 miles: the Indianapolis 500 midday, followed by NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 in the evening, both celebrating America and honoring our nation’s fallen military servicemembers.
“These partnerships with HFT, Cole and Felix present big, natural avenues to consistently communicate externally what Texas A&M stands for with great visibility, value and shared values,” said R. Ethan Braden, vice president and chief marketing and communications officer at Texas A&M. “Motorsports are especially well-positioned to deliver cost-effective and efficient national reach with millions, deep fan engagement and loyalty, and a values-aligned audience for Texas A&M University. In the end, you may only see the driver in the winner’s circle, but propelling every lap is a car, a team, a community of supporters, as well as strategy, innovation and creativity at the highest levels. That’s Texas A&M University; that’s how Texas A&M Aggies think and act, and that’s the kind of country we are working to shape.”
Both Custer and Rosenqvist match Braden’s enthusiasm about the partnerships.
“I’m proud to carry the Texas A&M branding on our No. 41 Ford Mustang this season,” Custer said. “It was a productive partnership in 2024, so we look forward to expanding the relationship and raising awareness around Texas A&M’s commitment to our country’s military personnel. The Aggie Core Values align well with our philosophy at Haas and resonate with the NASCAR fanbase.”
Rosenqvist echoed Custer’s thoughts.
“I’m excited to partner with Texas A&M for the 2025 INDYCAR season and support their efforts to honor our country’s military-affiliated personnel,” Rosenqvist said. “Texas A&M has a powerful message and inspiring culture, and I look forward to collaborating with the university to help share its story this year. It’s an honor to be associated with an institution that is wholly committed to making a local and global impact.”
Texas A&M’s military livery – which debuted at the Phoenix Raceway NASCAR Cup Series race in November 2024 – will be featured at the Coca-Cola 600 during Memorial Day weekend. The No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford Mustang will be adorned by the military-centric paint scheme with Aggie Maroon complemented by camouflage, honoring our nation’s fallen military servicemembers and signifying Texas A&M’s commitment to all military-affiliated individuals. As part of the Coca-Cola 600’s 600 Miles of Remembrance, Captain Ronald Forrester, an Aggie and Marine aviation navigator who was listed as missing in action after his plane crashed during a combat mission in North Vietnam and whose remains were only recently returned home after 51 years, will be honored during the race as his name rides along on driver Cole Custer’s windshield during the race with his family in attendance.
National visibility through broadcast, digital and social media, and in-person audiences creates a powerful platform to showcase the university’s mission of advancing knowledge and human achievement. This effort drives the economic engine of Texas and the nation while supporting our veteran and military-affiliated students and families and producing graduates who are leaders of character in today’s global society. With 80 million fans nationwide, 31% of NASCAR followers are currently serving in the military, have served or currently work in military-specific occupations. The NASCAR Cup Series’ television audience has increased by 12% year-over-year through the first four races of 2025, with 4.1 million viewers tuning in to the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ season debut on FOX (network) experienced a 45% year-over-year audience boost, attracting 1.42 million viewers.
Additionally, the novel partnership with HFT (formerly Stewart-Haas Racing) will provide Texas A&M students with unique, hands-on learning opportunities in elite-level motorsports. HFT will select two students for paid summer internships at its race shop in Kannapolis, North Carolina, and will host 10 students at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 3, for an immersive behind-the-scenes experience alongside HFT engineers in the garage and on the track.
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 close to 150 years. 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 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 was named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2025 by Fast Company Magazine. The university is ranked by The Wall Street Journal as the best university in Texas and No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference. Texas A&M was recently recognized for having the highest return on investment for bachelor’s degrees among public universities in the state, according to The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity. Views of Texas A&M video content on YouTube grew from 311,000 in 2023 to over 30 million in 2024 (+9,360%), propelling Texas A&M to be named the most recognized university in the state of Texas and No. 6 among all U.S. public universities in the latest Global University Visibility rankings compiled by higher education research and consulting firm American Caldwell. U.S. News & World Report recognized the university’s biological and agricultural engineering program as No. 1 in the nation, and for leading the nation in engineering research expenditures.
Source: Texas A&M University | Haas Factory Team
