Written by Gabriel Tsui, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Breaking news coming out of the Cup Series, as Justin Haley will head to Spire Motorsports for the No. 7 seat, while Corey Lajoie will head the other way, towards Rick Ware Racing for the No. 51 seats, effective immediately.
This move will see the 25-year-old make his return to Spire Motorsports, after driving part-time for the organisation from 2020 to 2021 in the No. 77 car. During the 2021 season, where Haley ran a large portion of the season, he had two top-ten finishes, but that wasn’t enough for the organisation to award Haley a full-time ride.
Therefore, Kaulig Racing swooped in and offered Haley a two-year contract for the full-time ride in the No. 31, and during the two years, he secured four top-five finishes, and numerous top-ten finishes.
After two years of impressive performances by the sophomore, Haley headed to Rick Ware Racing as their first-ever full-time driver in the Cup Series, taking over the No. 51, and signing a multi-year contract for the move.
In RWR, he has a slightly down year compared to his time in Kaulig, currently hanging in 32nd place, with only 399 points. A move to the No. 7 will see him partner up with Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith in Spire, with a chance to finish the season on a high.
Iit is also confirmed that Haley will be signing a multi-year contract with Spire. He will also have the opportunity to work with the championship-winning race engineer from the foreclosing Stewart Haas Racing, Rodney Childers, come 2025.
Haley has been stuck with teams that didn’t have contending aspirations, and hasn’t been given a fair chance to show his true skills. On occasions he is able to drag the car to a top-ten finish, he has shown his ability to hang around and attack his opponents with a better car.
Joining Spire will give him a chance to at least get closer to the top teams in terms of speed. This move will prove to be a huge opportunity for the young driver, and we will see how the returning driver will perform in the #7.
As for Spire, this will be an opportunity for them to get a head start with Haley, giving him a chance to race closer to the top of the pack, while giving time for Haley to adjust to the car and the team.
To be given a seven-race weekend span to get used to the team and learn about the team will be a huge opportunity for Haley and Spire. This eliminates any growing and adaptation pains they might go through at the start of the 2025 season, and be ready to compete from day one.
Going the other way is the soon-to-be 33-year-old Corey LaJoie, who will be piloting the #51 Rick Ware Racing car for the rest of the 2024 season.
With increased expectation for 2024, LaJoie was unable to improve upon previous seasons, resulting in him parting ways with Spire after signing a multi-year extension just one season prior.
Now that LaJoie is in RWR, this is a chance to prove that he is still able to hold down an everyday Cup Series role. There have been rumours of LaJoie being signed to an Xfinity or Truck ride instead of a Cup ride, so these final seven races of the 2024 season will be critical in determining his future.
As for RWR, this will be a good time to see if LaJoie is a good fit with the organisation. The 32-year-old has been stuck in the tail end of the field quite often, and RWR is certainly looking for more than that, evidenced with their employment of Haley for 2024.
LaJoie has been on a good run of form for the last few races, securing top-ten finishes in Darlington and Watkins Glen. If LaJoie can secure top-15 finishes before the end of the season, there is a huge chance he will be able to secure that seat beyond 2024.
Overall, this is a good move for both teams and drivers. LaJoie was told he wasn’t going to drive for Spire beyond 2024, and there was no point in staying, nor Spire keeping him. Sending LaJoie to RWR gives him a chance for a fresh start, a chance to impress his new bosses, and a chance to secure a seat for 2025.
As for Haley, though he stated that he would stay in RWR, the opportunity to drive for an up-and-coming team, to return to the team where he got his maiden Cup win, is an opportunity that is incredibly beneficial to his career.
This weekend in Kansas will be the first time where both drivers drive for their new teams, so do keep an eye on them as they will be looking to make an impression.
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