Justin Haley gave Spire Motorsports its first Cup Series victory in 2019 and that moment put both the river and the organization on the map. More than a year ago, he took control of the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet and held that responsibility through the 2025 season. He closed the year ranked 31st in the final driver standings, but Spire Motorsports opted not to extend his contract through the 2026 Cup season.
After nine races in 2025, championship-winning crew chief Rodney Childers left the organization, leaving Haley to recalibrate mid-term. But despite the disruptions, he recorded one top five and two top 10 finishes during the season, making what he could from a volatile situation.
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In October, Spire confirmed Haleywould not return in 2026 and announced Daniel Suarez as his replacement. This decision blindsided him because he didn’t expect it.
Reflecting on the move, Haley told NASCAR:“I really didn’t expect it. You step back, and I had a lot of options and a lot of people calling me. Being with Matt Kaulig and Kaulig Racing for so long, having to leave to try to continue my career was a tough decision. Business is a big part of racing.”
However, on Haley’s side, he left no stone unturned to succeed on the track. He showed up every week, executed his role and pulled every lever available, even when the results weren’t following. In fact, he thought he was operating at the peak of his abilities, but the margins in the Cup Series remain unforgiving. Opportunities appear and disappear in the blink of an eye, and sometimes the calculations never balance out.
But now the road is coming back for him. Haley rejoined Kaulig Racing more than two years after parting ways, joining a program facing a new frontier as it helps bring Ram back into NASCAR. Chris Rice, CEO of Kaulig Racing, credited Haley with winning the organization’s Cup when he became its first full-time driver in 2022.
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This time, Haley takes command as the standard-bearer for Kaulig’s debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, a role that requires as much leadership as speed.
The door to the Cup Series has not closed, although a return will require patience. Off the slopes, the 26-year-old has rethought his priorities after starting a family. He still fuels his desire to compete in a dirt modified, recently spending two weeks at Volusia Speedway Park. And despite losing his full-time Cup involvement, few drivers can match his resume, with victory at every level of NASCAR’s national ladder.
Since winning the ARCA East championship in 2016, he has accumulated 338 starts in the Cup, Xfinity and Truck series, producing one Cup, four Xfinity and three Truck victories. Only 40 drivers in the history of the sport share this complete set, a marker that places him in rare company.
Within the industry, Haley has a reputation for discipline and teams view him as a driver who doesn’t destroy equipment and brings value to sponsors. These qualities will certainly keep his name in circulation.
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