(Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
Justin Haley is set to take his talents to a different team and manufacturer.
Beginning in 2024, Haley will join Ford and Rick Ware Racing, a team aligned with the revived Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, on a multi-year deal.
The deal, which got announced last week, seemingly came off as a surprise to many. Haley has spent five seasons with Kaulig Racing, and in that time, collected four Xfinity Series victories and ran the last two seasons at the Cup Series level.
But evidently, Haley’s contract with Kaulig expires at the end of the 2023 season. With so many unknowns, including the expiring TV deal, the unfinalized charter agreement and political uncertainty, Haley said, he felt joining RWR made the most sense.
“Rick just kept coming and calling and just gave me a really good deal,” Haley said in a media availability at Pocono Raceway. “Rick gave me a really good opportunity and a really good deal that I kept laying in bed thinking about and wanting to take.
“I think back to where Spire [Motorsports] was a few years ago. A lot of people were kind of wondering why Spire was in the sport, especially after our win together. They just thought it was a money grab or whatnot. I think Rick really wants to show people that he’s here to win races. They just won an NHRA race [on July 16]. Rick Ware, in all forms of motorsports, is a race-winning, championship-caliber team. He wants to drive his NASCAR program to that, and signing me, a full-time driver, was I think one of his first steps after the RFK alliance.”
But why not wait a little longer before signing with a team?
The NASCAR silly season picture for 2024 is still murky. Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing and Aric Almirola of Stewart-Haas Racing are both considering retirement. There could still be other charter and free-agent movements.
In the end, Haley said he had to “protect himself.” He and Kaulig Racing couldn’t come to terms on an extension, something that came from a sponsorship perspective.
Haley and Kaulig Racing President Chris Rice insisted that there wasn’t any sort of fallout or performance-based issue. It came down to partners and money on the table.
Haley at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
“We need partners, I think is the easiest way to say that. We’re a business just like everybody else,” Rice said. “We’ve had LeafFilter Gutter Protection for so long, and they’ve done a lot of races and been a big supporter of Justin Haley, and still will and still are. The door wasn’t closed. It wasn’t like anybody got fired or anything like that. It was just we both had to make a tough decision, we got to move a different direction and looking at things for partners in different avenues. I think him making his move was because of us telling him that.
“It’s a tough conversation that you have to have, but we love Justin. Justin has done a really good job for us, won a lot of races for us. We’re gonna miss him for sure, but he’s still a part of the Kaulig family … You never know. Down the road, he might be back with us.”
The move to RWR has its perks. For starters, Haley has job security. He’ll be with the organization for at least two seasons, allowing the team to build around the 24-year-old from Winamac, Indiana.
Haley said that Ware wanted to sign him to the team for a lifetime, which Haley said he backpedaled on. He said that Kaulig wanted to keep him as long as possible, too, but it all came back to money.
“The economics of the sport right now, we’re just not in a position where a driver like me who doesn’t have a lot of sponsorship can drive,” Haley said. “Chris mentioned in an interview that it wasn’t performance related, it’s purely economics and where we are as a sport right now.
“Rick and everyone at RWR gave me a chance and the opportunity. It’s just for me as a future, I think it’s something that we both can build around and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m really so excited to step into this role.
“This deal is Rick was done pretty much the week of Chicago, so probably a month ago at this point. It’s been done for a while. To get sponsors and to sell a certain car, you have to release that. We had to put it out there that I was making the transition to RWR, and that we could start to sell that sponsorship.”
(Photo: Josh Jones | The Podium Finish)
Performance-wise, Haley will step into an RFK Racing affiliated car. RFK and RWR formed an alliance over the off-season, a decision both sides hoped would pay dividends.
With five races remaining in the regular season, Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher are both projected into the playoffs for RFK. RWR has had 12 drivers compete in its two entries this season, led by J.J. Yeley with 14 starts. He, along with Riley Herbst, each have a top 10. Jensen Button, Cole Custer and Ryan Newman are among others with starts for the organization.
Haley admitted he probably wouldn’t have signed with RWR without the alliance and support from RFK.
“If you don’t have a manufacturer backed team, you have to sign with someone like that,” Haley explained. “You have to alliance yourself with a larger organization to get some kind of data. For me, I’m in an allianced team right now with Kaulig and it’s the same with RWR. I’m going to an allianced team to a bigger organization. Obviously, I’m excited. Ford gets a new body next year. I think that will be a good step in the right direction as well.
“I didn’t even realize that when I went to RWR, they are in RFK’s shop. I just thought I was going somewhere and Rick sent me RFK’s address and I’m like ‘hey, that’s not your race team.’ I didn’t even realize that it was in RFK.
“Rick [Ware] definitely has shown a lot of want to win and want to run better. I think the RFK alliance was the first step.”
Haley races Erik Jones at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July. (Photo: Kevin Ritchie | The Podium Finish)
Keselowski, who co-owns RFK, had some influence in RWR’s decision to bring in Haley, but ultimately left it up to Ware and team president Robby Benton.
“Rick [Ware] and Robby [Benton], they run their team. But from time to time, they ask me what I think and that wasn’t hard to get behind,” Keselowski said. “Justin has won races. He can move the needle. He seems to always find speed. I think he sat on the pole for the Clash and saw him in Chicago have a strong showing and some other places. He’s got those flashes of brilliance that you look for with a young driver.”
Haley still has 15 races remaining with Kaulig before he makes the off-season switch to RWR. He insisted that everything is fine with the team inertnally and that the move won’t serve as a distraction as the No. 31 car attempts to qualify for the playoffs with a win.
Rice said that Kaulig hopes to have its 2024 Cup Series lineup set in stone by August 15. That includes uncertainty around AJ Allmendinger, who’s in his first Cup season since 2018. Allmendinger argued that his return depends on Kaulig, while Rice emphasized that he has a ride until “he’s ready to retire.”
Rice added that the team started talking with drivers and partners to fill the No. 31 car back in January, not knowing whether Haley would ultimately return.
“We knew it was coming, so I would say we probably started talking back in January to people reaching out to us and what we’re going to do and stuff like that,” Rice said. “The plan is to be all set with our Cup stuff by August 15. It’ll be up to the partners and the guys that’s driving it when they want to do it, but our goal is to be done with that.
“I think what you’ll see coming here in a short period of time is probably going to surprise a lot of people.”
