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.
Advertisement
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.
NEWS: Familiar faces in new places!
Starting at @kansasspeedway through the end of 2024, @Justin_Haley_ will drive the @SpireMotorsport No. 7, while @CoreyLaJoie will drive the @RickWareRacing No. 51. pic.twitter.com/EClL89kSDM
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 20, 2024
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.”
Kyle Busch is the happiest guy in Nascar right now.
— Matt (@gopacknfdabears) September 20, 2024
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.
