NASCAR’s only disqualified driver of 2024 is switching teams

NASCAR's only disqualified driver of 2024 is switching teams

Well, folks, I’ve been following this sport for quite some time now, and let me tell you, watching Justin Haley’s NASCAR journey has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride! From his humble beginnings at Winamac, Indiana to his impressive stint with Rick Ware Racing, it’s been a testament to perseverance and grit.

A while back, Justin Haley made it clear that he intends to stay with Rick Ware Racing past the year 2024 in the NASCAR Cup Series.

After two complete seasons (2022 and 2023) with Kaulig Racing, Haley departed and assumed driving duties for the number 51 Ford, which lacked a permanent driver following Cody Ware’s suspension early in the previous year.

Originating from Winamac, Indiana at the age of 25, this athlete’s impressive performance certainly warrants a transition to a more challenging team in 2024. Despite expressing his desire to stay with his current team as long as owner Rick Ware desired, it appears he will, in fact, be switching teams next year.

And he doesn’t have to wait until the 2025 season to do so.

This coming Sunday afternoon, Haley will be back with Spire Motorsports, a team he previously scored his first career win and their initial top 27 finish during his third race. That victory was at Daytona International Speedway in the summer of 2019.

2019 marked Spire Motorsports’ debut in the Cup Series, but they have significantly stepped up their game since then. They’ve managed to secure eight extra top five finishes, one of which was a second place at Nashville Superspeedway with Zane Smith in June, and an additional 12 top 10 finishes.

It was recently revealed that Corey LaJoie would not be back with the team in 2025, and LaJoie is the driver whom Haley is set to replace behind the wheel of the No. 7 Chevrolet. LaJoie is set to move to Rick Ware Racing to complete the 2024 season, though his 2025 plans have not yet been confirmed.

The lineup for Spire Motorsports in 2025 is planned to include Haley, current driver Michael McDowell from Front Row Motorsports, and Carson Hocevar. Similar to LaJoie, Smith won’t be with the team next year, and he’s highly considered as a potential replacement for McDowell at Front Row Motorsports.

Justin Haley’s under-the-radar impressive 2024 season

Generally, drivers who are in 32nd place in the season standings and have only managed two top 10 finishes in 29 races don’t usually attract much attention. However, Haley has definitely turned this around.

Before Haley joined, Rick Ware Racing hadn’t managed to place any of their entries higher than 33rd in the owner rankings, and they’d never finished a regular track race within the top ten either.

That’s where Haley’s disqualification comes into play.

In the year 2024, Haley is the sole racer who has been disqualified from a Cup Series event thus far. His 17th place finish at the Circuit of the Americas in March was revoked.

If not for his disqualification, he would have been ranked 28th overall in the standings, surpassing Daniel Hemric and two out of the three drivers from Spire Motorsports.

To put it simply, if we were ranking all racers based on total points earned, he wouldn’t be in 27th place. That spot would belong to Harrison Burton from Wood Brothers Racing, as he has scored fewer points despite both having qualified for the playoffs following their respective victories at Daytona.

Furthermore, during a span of three races this season, Haley achieved two top 10 placements, with these successes coming from tracks that are not superspeedways. Specifically, she ended up in ninth position at Charlotte Motor Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

Outperforming his equipment is a significant understatement.

Compared to Haley’s No. 51 entry, Rick Ware Racing’s No. 15 team is at the bottom of the owner rankings, trailing by approximately 120 points, despite Haley’s disqualification. The No. 15 team has only managed one top 10 finish this season, which was Cody Ware’s fourth place performance in the summer race at Daytona.

The big difference is in top 20 finishes. Haley has 11, while the No. 15 Ford has just five.

From my perspective as a dedicated fan, I’m right there with LaJoie, cheering him on as he holds a slender lead over Haley in the rankings, currently placed at 31st. His season highlight so far is undeniably that fourth place finish at the Daytona 500 kick-off, and since then, he’s impressed with ninth place at Darlington and eighth at Watkins Glen International. To add to that, he’s also secured eight other top 20 finishes this season.

Don’t forget to catch the live broadcast of the Hollywood Casino 400 on USA Network this coming Sunday, September 29 at 3:00 p.m. ET from Kansas Speedway, which is presented by ESPN BET. Sign up for a free trial with FuboTV today and ensure you won’t miss any of the exciting action!

2024-09-25 15:02

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