CONCORD, N.C.: For Justin Haley, it’s good to be home.
Haley’s Cup journey began behind the wheel of the No. 77 Spire Chevrolet in 2019.
After three seasons of navigating NASCAR’s top tour with Kaulig Racing—and most recently Rick Ware Racing—the 25-year-old racer returned to Spire Motorsports three weeks ago to prepare for 2025.
“It’s been good,” Haley said. “Everybody at Spire Motorsports has been on top of things. They definitely have quite the facility, all the resources and are making a bunch of moves to be successful and win races.
“The last two weeks, the level of preparation is different than anything I would have expected. Just the engineers and how prepared they are and ready for any situation. It’s all here. You just have to put it together. It’s been good. Everyone has been nice and very helpful.”
The organization has changed dramatically since Haley’s first stint there. At the end of the 2018 season, Spire’s owners, Jeff Dickerson and T.J. Puchyr, were just a couple of agency guys with a dream and a newly acquired charter. There wasn’t even a brick-and-mortar shop to build and house race cars.
But 18 races into their maiden season, Haley won the summer Daytona contest in just his third Cup start, leading the lap that counted when rain shortened the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. Spire has enjoyed an upward trajectory ever since.
“I remember when we started the 77 deal,” Haley said. “There were a lot of long hours, just ordering pizza for the guys at midnight, stuff like that. Honestly, the 77 crew I had is still pretty similar to the crew (Carson) Hocevar has right now, with Peter Sospenzo on that car.
“It’s cool that they are expanding but still retaining a lot of key people.”
Spire has grown from a single-car operation to three full-time Cup teams and multiple truck entries after purchasing the assets of Kyle Busch Motorsports last fall and moving in the offseason to Mooresville.
“It’s impressive, it’s definitely impressive,” Haley said. “It’s walking into a real organization that has real sponsors and real people who are expecting results—a lot of people here. There are so many employees here that I have no idea who most of them are at this point.”
Spire’s competition director, Ryan Sparks, is overseeing Haley’s No. 7 team until season’s end, when he’ll turn over the reins to championship crew chief Rodney Childers.
“Having Rodney come over, obviously, these cars are a little different than they used to be, and the way we practice and do things are completely different, but he definitely looks at things from an outside perspective,” Haley said. “He definitely has a different view from most.
“I’ve had dinner with him, obviously talked a great deal to him, tried to build a relationship with him. It’s been fun.”
The one challenge Haley has experienced since taking over the No. 7 ride from Corey LaJoie last month is the feel between the Spire Chevrolet and the Ford he drove at RWR. The different aerodynamic balance of the cars has been the greatest change for Haley.
“You would think all the cars would be pretty similar due to the box the teams are put in by NASCAR,” Haley said. “But the aero balance from the front to the rear of the car is definitely different. I have a similar feel here to what I had at Kaulig—aero-wise—like on restarts and stuff like that. It’s still a Next Gen car so it’s not a crazy difference.
“But I was expecting the cars to drive the same, right? It’s a Next Gen car, just hop in and get after it. I talked to Corey and he said the same. Normally, you have an offseason to think about and then you get back in the car. But it was crazy getting used to it.”
To offset the change, Sparks worked with Haley in the simulator to make the corner balance on the No. 7 Chevy “more connected” so he can predict how the cars will react from practice and qualifying to the race.
Sparks arrived at Spire at the end of the 2020 season as Haley was moving to a full-time Cup opportunity with Kaulig. He describes the young racer’s demeanor and work ethic as “quite refreshing” to the team.
“It’s been fun,” Sparks said. “Obviously we have some experience with Justin from a few years back, something to build on. We haven’t had all the results we’ve wanted. At Kansas, we had a fast car, just didn’t end up where we wanted to but looking forward to the rest of the races.
“Obviously, with Rodney’s credentials, Justin has a very high ceiling. I’m excited to see what they can do together. I love what Justin brings to the table. With Rodney’s success—and some of the guys coming over from that race team—they have the makings to be a top-10 team and a threat to win.”
Entering this weekend’s Bank of America ROVAL 400, Haley’s strategy is to “just try to make it through.” Two years ago, he finished fifth on the Charlotte Motor Speedway’s road course—and fourth the previous year in the Xfinity Series. Although Haley’s not sure what to expect of the new Turn 7—a 180-degree corner created to promote passing—he remains optimistic.
“I definitely feel good about the Roval,” Haley said. “It’s certainly not anyone’s favorite. I don’t think you’ve ever heard any driver say it’s their favorite. But it’s definitely a place where I feel like we can be good, especially with Spire getting three top 10s at Watkins Glen. I think their road course stuff has been pretty solid.
“I had a sports car background there for a while in Trans Am, so it helps. We’ll see what we can do. I’m lucky I’m in Group B (qualifying) so I can watch Group A make all the mistakes first.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
