Aaron Kramer, the lead engineer for Chris Buescher’s team at RFK Racing, will move to the Haas Factory Team next season and become Cole Custer’s crew chief.

RFK Racing and the Haas Factory Team will form a technical alliance next season.

The 2025 season marks a return to Cup for Custer, who competed in Cup from 2020 to 2022 and won one race. He has been in the Xfinity Series since then, winning the series title last year.

The reasoning behind the penalty, which led to the loss of playoff participation, was not very detailed.

The 35-year-old Kramer has been an engineer at RFK Racing since 2016. Since last year he has been lead engineer in Buescher’s team.

“Aaron’s experience as an engineer and his history with RFK Racing are a great asset to the Haas Factory Team. We are proud to have him on our team,” said Joe Custer, President of the Haas Factory Team, in a team statement.

“NASCAR, and the Cup Series in particular, has become very technology-focused. The limited track time and the nuances of the NextGen car have made simulation and data a major factor. To really maximize all of that information, you need people who can apply that information to the car and work closely with the driver to optimize the car.

“Aaron is that person and we are confident he can build a team of like-minded individuals to get our race team ready for 2025.”

Both the Xfinity and Cup series will take place in Michigan this weekend.

For Kramer, this is his first assignment as crew chief in NASCAR.

“This is a great opportunity and I am very grateful for it,” Kramer said in a statement from the team. “I have been working toward the position of crew chief since I was racing go-karts in high school. I am proud to have now achieved it with the Haas Factory Team. Their alliance with RFK makes the learning curve a little less steep because I am very familiar with the people and processes at RFK.”

“Having Cole as a driver is a huge advantage. He is highly motivated and dedicated to his craft. He puts in time off the track so he is ready every time he gets in the race car. That’s what you want as a crew chief. We will push and support each other to get the best results possible.”