Travis Carter Enterprises made its Cup Series debut at the 1990 Daytona 500 with the No. 98 Chevrolet sponsored by Winn-Dixie and driven by Butch Miller. Miller completed 23 races that season before Rick Mast closed out the year. In 1991, Jimmy Spencer took over as Banquet Foods became the primary sponsor. Spencer drove the car through parts of the 1991 and 1992 seasons before the team temporarily suspended operations.
The team returned in 1994 as the No. 23 Camel Cigarettes-sponsored Ford Thunderbird with Hut Stricklin at the wheel. After one year, Stricklin was replaced and Spencer returned to the team for several seasons. The operation gained stability in 1998 when Winston became the primary sponsor of Spencer's car, though injuries forced multiple substitute drivers into the seat that year, including Ted Musgrave and Frank Kimmel.
Late in the 1990s Carter expanded into a two-car operation and brought Carl Haas on board as a partner, creating Haas-Carter Motorsports. Darrell Waltrip drove the No. 66 Kmart Ford beginning in 1999, while Spencer continued in what became the No. 26 after acquiring that number from Roush Racing. Waltrip's tenure produced numerous DNQs across his final season; he retired from the Winston Cup after 2000.
Todd Bodine replaced Waltrip in the No. 66 for 2001, earning three pole positions and finishing 29th in points. Spencer also departed after 2001, and Joe Nemechek signed for the No. 26 in 2002. However, Kmart's bankruptcy during the offseason threw both cars into jeopardy. Nemechek raced only a handful of events before his program was shuttered, eventually signing with Hendrick Motorsports. Bodine attempted the early 2002 races in the No. 66 and qualified on pole at Las Vegas, but the car was parked for weeks while the team searched for sponsorship. Frank Kimmel returned for six races with National Pork Board backing, and Bodine ultimately ran the No. 26 with Discover Card sponsorship, with his brother Geoff sharing the ride at times. Japanese driver Hideo Fukuyama also ran a handful of events in the No. 66.
In 2003, Haas-Carter Motorsports merged with minority shareholder Sam Belnavis to form BelCar Motorsports. The No. 26 was renumbered to No. 54, with the U.S. National Guard as the primary sponsor and Bodine still driving. The car posted one top-ten finish and a 31st-place points result. Fukuyama attempted a Rookie of the Year run in the No. 66 but withdrew due to funding shortfalls. After the season, the National Guard sponsorship and Belnavis both departed — the Guard moving to Roush Racing — and a proposed alliance with British group TorqueSpeed was announced for 2004 but never reached the track.
Carter stepped away from the Cup Series following 2003 to focus on guiding his son Matt Carter through the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series ranks. In 2007, Carter announced a Cup return with backing from Carl Haas, Indianapolis Motor Speedway chairman Mari Hulman George, and Mi-Jack Products founder Michael Lanigan. The team entered the Busch Series under the Carl A. Haas Motorsports banner with Kyle Krisiloff driving the No. 14. Sponsorship came from Clabber Girl, Walgreens, and Eli Lilly and Company over the course of the season.
The team was briefly aligned with Robert Yates in a planned merger with Yates/Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing for a second Busch operation, but Yates' retirement following 2007 ended that partnership. Krisiloff was released and the sponsors departed. The team began 2008 as Richardson-Haas Motorsports, attempting the Daytona race with David Gilliland under Music City Illinois sponsorship but crashing out. A planned entry at Auto Club Speedway with Eric Norris was withdrawn before the race, and the organization did not compete again.
Travis Carter Enterprises is notable for fielding competitive Ford-based teams through multiple sponsorship eras in the 1990s and early 2000s, providing a home for drivers including Jimmy Spencer, Joe Nemechek, and Todd Bodine. The Carl Haas partnership briefly elevated the team's resources while also connecting it to the broader open-wheel world through Haas's simultaneous involvement in Champ Car racing via Newman/Haas Racing.