Justin Haley will not return to Spire Motorsports for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. As has been speculated for months regarding the driver’s future with the team, it is now official with three races left in the season.
Haley, 26 years of age, left Rick Ware Racing last year with seven races remaining to join Spire and drive the team’s No. 7 Chevrolet. After earning just one top five and two top finishes this season, and ranking 31st in driver points, the team is moving on from the native of Winamac, IN.
Spire Sends Haley Off with Praise
The team made the announcement on Tuesday regarding the driver’s tenure. No plans have been announced for his replacement in 2026.
“This is a decision that was not taken lightly,” said Jeff Dickerson, Spire Motorsports co-owner. “Justin has been a member of the Spire family since he was a teenager. We’ve watched Justin grow from a young driver trying to make his mark in the sport to a proven winner.
“He helped strengthen our organization into what it is today. He made us winners and returned home after forging his own path in the Cup Series.
“Justin is the embodiment of a true racer who has quietly become a respected competitor within the NASCAR garage and will be an incredible asset to his next team.”
The team still has drivers Micheal McDowell in the No. 71 and Carson Hocevar in the No. 77 Chevrolets.
Haley Has Had Bumpy Road
In 2019, Haley gave the team its first victory at Daytona International Speedway winning a rain-shorted event. He left Spire after 2022 to race at Kaulig Racing for two seasons going winless while earning four top five and 10 top 10 finishes.
Late in 2023, RWR announced Haley as its new driver for the 2024 season. Later that year, Spire and RWR swapped Haley for Corey LaJoie with seven races remaining.
When the 2025 season started, Spire put Haley and Championship winning crew chief Rodney Childers together. However, after just nine races, Childress left the team and moved Spire Competition Director Ryan Sparks to work with Haley.
Story to be updated
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Justin Haley Out at Spire Motorsports appeared first on Heavy Sports.