“Kyle Busch Is the Happiest Guy”: NASCAR Fans ”Anxious” After Justin Haley Replaces Corey LaJoie at Spire Motorsports

Srijan Mandal | 21/09/2024
“Kyle Busch Is the Happiest Guy”: NASCAR Fans ”Anxious” After Justin Haley Replaces Corey LaJoie at Spire Motorsports

Right before Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway, marking the elimination event in the Round of 16, it has been announced that Justin Haley will replace Corey LaJoie at Spire Motorsports starting from next weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway. While LaJoie was already headed out of the team at the end of this season, things seemed to have kicked in earlier than expected.

After the conclusion of the race at Bristol, the 32-year-old will be driving the #51 Rick Ware Racing entry, which Haley has piloted so far. Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson also confirmed that Haley will remain in the #7 car come 2025 as well, thereby confirming him as LaJoie’s replacement. 

Speaking at a press conference ahead of this weekend’s event, Haley was asked about his driver swap into Spire while also speculating if the team’s relationship with Hendrick Motorsports played a role in the rather usual move.

He responded, “I mean it’s clear that Spire and HMS have a strong relationship… Jeff Dickerson called me and presented me an opportunity to drive the #7 car for him and it’s a homecoming for me to be able to get back with Jeff and everyone at Spire Motorsports where I started my career.“

Haley got his first-ever Cup Series win driving with Spire Motorsports back in the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. Heading back to the team where it all started will be the perfect opportunity for the 25-year-old to thrive. While he is excited about this opportunity, several fans shared their remarks about the news of the announcement on social media.

Fans share thoughts after LaJoie’s replacement announcement

Several fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to share their thoughts regarding the rather early replacement announcement. One person stated, “Anxious to see how this plays out esp next season.” Meanwhile, another took a playful jibe at the ever-brewing beef between LaJoie and Kyle Busch. He said, “Kyle Busch is the happiest guy in NASCAR right now.”

Another person mentioned how Haley would be paired with championship winning crew chief Rodney Childers. They said, “Haley is gonna go far with Rodney on the box.” Earlier this year, Spire Motorsports had announced the arrival of Childers as the crew chief of the #7 car.

Yet another person speculated, “Haley is gonna embarrass the f**k out of LaJoie for doing so bad in the 7.”

There is a lot of positivity surrounding Haley and how he will perform at Spire Motorsports. While his past indicates a healthy relationship with the team, his performance will be tested in these remaining few races of the 2024 season.

Post Edited By: Rahul Ahluwalia
Corey LaJoie Justin Haley NASCAR Cup Series

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Srijan Mandal

Srijan Mandal is the Lead NASCAR Editor and Strategist at The Sportsrush with a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of motorsports. With several thousand articles under his belt over the years, he has established himself as a leading authority on all things racing. His passion for motorsports started at a young age, and he has dedicated his career to covering the sport in all its forms. He is an expert in various disciplines, including stock car racing, American motorsports, Formula 1, IndyCar, NHRA, MotoGP, WRC, WEC, and several more. But Srijan's love for racing goes beyond his writing. He actively competes in professional open-wheel sim racing, using '88' as his racing number. While he mostly participates in GT Endurance classes, he also ventures into Stock Car racing from time to time. In case, you wish to contact Srijan, kindly send an email to him at [email protected] or just DM him on Twitter.

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