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LEBANON, TENNESSEE – MAY 31: Justin Haley, driver of the #7 Garner Trucking Chevrolet, waits on the grid during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on May 31, 2025 in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Justin Haley will not return to Spire Motorsports for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. As has been speculated for months regarding the driver\u2019s future with the team<\/a>, it is now official with three races left in the season.<\/p>\n Haley, 26 years of age, left Rick Ware Racing last year with seven races remaining to join Spire and drive the team\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Spire Sends Haley Off with Praise<\/p>\n The team made the announcement on Tuesday regarding the driver\u2019s tenure. No plans have been announced for his replacement in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a decision that was not taken lightly,\u201d said Jeff Dickerson, Spire Motorsports<\/a> co-owner. \u201cJustin has been a member of the Spire family since he was a teenager. We\u2019ve watched Justin grow from a young driver trying to make his mark in the sport to a proven winner.<\/p>\n \u201cHe 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.<\/p>\n \u201cJustin 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The team still has drivers Micheal McDowell in the No. 71 and Carson Hocevar in the No. 77 Chevrolets.<\/p>\n Haley Has Had Bumpy Road<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> with seven races remaining.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Story to be updated<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tTim Packman<\/a> Tim Packman is a journalist for Heavy.com covering NASCAR. He grew up around the short tracks of Western New York watching his dad, stepdad and step brother race. His uncle was the head starter at many area tracks and member of the FOAR Score Hall of Fame.
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\nTim’s passion for racing took him to the announcer’s tower and writing program stories for multiple tracks in the area, namely Lancaster National Speedway. In 2000, he moved to Mooresville, NC to become an award-winning journalist for NASCAR.com. He took a job with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. as the team’s Communications Director and was part of two Daytona 500 wins and two NASCAR Championships.
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\nThe announcing experience led to becoming a Pit Reporter and News Director for MRN Radio. A return to the team side at Richard Childress Racing as the Director of Corporate Communications took place, which also included another Championship.
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\nFrom 2015 to 2018, Tim returned to where his career began in 1994 – Lancaster National Speedway & Dragway – as the Track President. He earned Short Track Promoter of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017.
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\nUpon returning to NC, he joined The Garage Shop as Communications Director and host of it’s Podcast and MAV-TV docuseries “Legacy of Speed” talking about Land Speed Racing at Bonneville, and other places.
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\nTim has hosted two other Podcasts, namely “Pub Table Racers,” and wrote three books. One was with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison titled, “Bobby Allison, a Racer’s Racer” and two Children’s books, “Funny Dan the Race Car Man” and “Petey the Pace Car.”
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\nHe also served in the US Navy. More about Tim Packman<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n