Haley & LaJoie Swapping Teams Ahead Of 2025 Season

Corey LaJoie (left) and Justin Haley. (Nigel Kinrade Photography images)

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Justin Haley and Corey LaJoie will trade rides starting next week in preparation for their new full-time opportunities next season.

Announced Friday afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway, Haley will move to Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, while LaJoie will take the reins of Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse.

The change goes into effect Sept. 28 at Kansas Speedway, giving both drivers the final seven races of the NASCAR Cup Series calendar to acclimate to their new environments.

“Justin Haley is a very talented driver who has done a lot to help elevate RWR,” said Robby Benton, president of RWR. “Justin came to us over the Olympic break with a longer-term opportunity that would serve his career well. We were sympathetic to his desires, as Justin committed to RWR early last year and has since played a key role in the growth of our organization. We didn’t want to compromise his growth or our own. In our talks with Justin following the break, we agreed to release him from his contract with RWR.

“Obviously, we needed a new plan to maintain the momentum we’ve gained this year, and Corey LaJoie joining RWR allows us to keep moving forward. These seven races provide a unique and unconventional opportunity to work together now and evaluate what we may be able to accomplish together going forward. Corey wants to continue his path toward winning in the NASCAR Cup Series, and so do we. We’re like-minded in that pursuit.”

Haley’s move to Spire represents a Cup Series homecoming for the Winamac, Ind., native.

In July of 2019, as a fresh-faced 20-year-old, Haley delivered the Jeff Dickerson and T.J. Puchyr-owned organization its first victory in just his third start at NASCAR’s premier level when he won a rain-shortened Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway.

Since then, Haley has run full time in the last four seasons at the Cup Series level, including a year in Spire’s No. 77 entry in 2021. He’s earned five top fives and 15 top 10s in 136 Cup Series starts.

The now 25-year-old is eager to return to the team that gave him his start at the top echelon of the sport, rekindling team bonds from the past and building a firm foundation before he gets the chance to work with incoming Spire crew chief Rodney Childers in 2025.

“Obviously, this is a great opportunity for me, not only being back in the doors at Spire, but to work with a championship-winning crew chief like Rodney Childers and the group he’s going to build around us,” said Haley. “I think that’s a big step for my career. It was definitely one of the attractive factors when Jeff [Dickerson, team co-owner] reached out to me. The last seven here will be with [current crew chief] Ryan Sparks, but definitely excited to go with Rodney next year and see what he brings. I want to bring a little fire back into him as a young spirit and see where we unfold.”

“We’ve known Justin Haley for many years and have been bullish on his talent from the beginning of his NASCAR career,” added Spire co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “Justin, and his win at Daytona, put us both on the map. It was a pivotal moment for his career and our organization. We’ve both grown since that day, as Justin has proven his talent in the Cup garage, and he comes back to an organization that is very different from the one he left a few years ago. Getting back together now, rather than waiting until 2025, gives us an excellent opportunity to build a baseline and be a step ahead when we get to Daytona next February.”

Rick Ware Racing’s signing of LaJoie represents the latest opportunity in the third-generation driver’s Cup Series career to help build a team up into performing contention on a regular basis.

He’s previously lifted Go Fas Racing and Spire into more consistent threats at the racetrack, and LaJoie hopes to continue the momentum that Haley has generated this year in the No. 51 and do the same for team owner Rick Ware going forward.

“It’s been a whirlwind for me the last couple months, just with getting the news [of not being back with Spire] before the Olympic break and praying in my life for the next doors that would open. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this is such a unique situation,” noted LaJoie. “My entire career has been pretty unique and my trajectory to get to the Cup Series was kind of unique, but I’m excited for the challenge.

“I’m excited just to have clarity for my future and to finish the rest of the year with Robbie [Benton] and Rick [Ware] and the entire group over at RWR,” he added. “It’s unprecedented. It’s going to be interesting to just change over seats, but at the end of the day, I can’t see what the number on the side of the car is … so I’m going to drive the car like I stole it each and every week and try to keep the wheels pulling all in the same direction.”

Broadcast coverage of the Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN Bet at Kansas, Haley and LaJoie’s first outing with their new teams, is slated for Sunday, Sept. 28 at 3 p.m. ET, live on USA, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.