Justin Haley gave Spire Motorsports its first Cup Series victory in 2019 and that moment placed both the river and organization on the map. More than a year ago, he assumed control of the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet and carried that responsibility through the 2025 season. He closed the year ranked 31st in the final driver standings, but Spire Motorsports chose not to extend his deal for the 2026 Cup season.
After nine races in 2025, championship-winning crew chief Rodney Childers exited the organization, leaving Haley to recalibrate midstream. But despite the disruption, he recorded one top-five finish and two top-10 results across the season, extracting what he could from an unsettled situation.
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In October, Spire confirmed Haleywould not return in 2026 and announced Daniel Suarez as his replacement. The decision blindsided him because he didn’t expect it.
Reflecting on the move, Haley told NASCAR,“I really wasn’t expecting it. You take a step back, and I had a lot of options and a lot of people that called me. Being with Matt Kaulig and Kaulig Racing for so long, having to leave to try to keep my career going was a tough decision. Business is a big part of racing.”
However, from Haley’s end, he did not leave any stone unturned to do well on the track. He showed up each week, executed his role, and pushed every lever available, even when results failed to follow. In fact, he believed he operated at the height of his ability, yet the margins in the Cup Series remain unforgiving. Opportunities appear and vanish in a blink, and sometimes the math never balances.
But now the road circles back for him. Haley has rejoined Kaulig Racing more than two years after parting ways, stepping into a program facing a new frontier as it helps usher Ram back into NASCAR. Chris Rice, Kaulig Racing’s chief executive officer, credited Haley with lifting the organization’s Cup effort when he became its first full-time driver in 2022.
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This time, Haley assumes command as the standard-bearer for Kaulig’s debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, a role that demands leadership as much as speed.
The door to the Cup Series has not closed, even if a return will take patience. Off the track, the 26-year-old has been rethinking priorities after starting a family. He still feeds his competitive itch in a dirt modified, recently spending two weeks at Volusia Speedway Park. And despite losing his full-time Cup ride, few drivers can match his résumé, with a win at every level of NASCAR’s national ladder.
Since bagging the ARCA East championship in 2016, he has amassed 338 starts across the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series, producing one Cup, four Xfinity, and three Truck wins. Only 40 drivers in the sport’s history share that complete set, a marker that places him in rare company.
Within the industry, Haley has a reputation for discipline, and teams see him as a driver who does not wreck equipment and delivers value to sponsors. Those qualities will definitely keep his name in circulation.
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The post “I Wasn’t Expecting It”: Justin Haley Breaks His Silence After Being Dropped by Spire Motorsports appeared first on The SportsRush.
