Gene Haas, who already heads his own NASCAR outfit in the United States, has had his application to enter a team in the Formula One world championship accepted, the FIA confirmed on Friday.
The FIA's World Motor Sport Council, meeting in Marrakech, also said that other high-standard applications had been submitted and that they are in the process of further examining another potential new team, Forza Rossa.
Haas, 61, will bring plenty of experience to Formula One when his team lines up for a planned 2015 start.
Stewart-Haas Racing won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in 2011, while Haas Automation, founded in 1983 and based in California, is the largest machine tool builder in the western world.
"Obviously, we're extremely pleased to have been granted a Formula One license by the FIA," said Haas in a statement.
"It's an exciting time for me, Haas Automation and anyone who wanted to see an American team return to Formula One.
"Now, the really hard work begins. It's a challenge we embrace as we work to put cars on the grid. I want to thank the FIA for this opportunity and the diligence everyone put forth to see our license application come to fruition."
The meeting also examined the ongoing controversy over F1's turbo V6 engines whose quiet purr has been widely lambasted by fans as well as the sport's ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone.
The power units' level of noise - or lack of it - will be studied with preliminary results expected shortly.
Haas founded his NASCAR team in 2002 and his new venture will be the first US-based F1 team since Mario Andretti raced for Parnelli Jones from 1974-76.
The last American team competing in F1 from an English base was run by Carl Haas (no relation to Gene) and Tedd Mayer in 1985-86 and included Australia's 1980 world champion driver Alan Jones.
