Justin Haley’s release from Spire Motorsports after this season certainly won’t go down as a surprise.
No driver outside the top 25 in the standings should be surprised when they’re released. Haley has been 28th or worse in the standings since the 11th race of the season and currently sits 31st.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way for Haley, who has two top 10s and 13 top-20 finishes in 33 starts. He has 11 finishes outside the top 25 but only two of those are races where he failed to finish because of an accident.
The team even made a crew chief change midseason. But it was clear that, for whatever reason, it wasn’t working.
So who gets into the No. 7 car next? It hasn’t been all that safe a place for drivers, as Corey LaJoie lost his ride a year before his contract ended last year and now Haley is out of a ride after one season.
Daniel Suarez is the most obvious choice.
Is Daniel Suarez the best fit to replace Justin Haley at Spire?
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He’ll bring 323 races of Cup experience with at least two wins and 75 top-10 finishes. He’ll also bring a little bit of sponsorship. He sits 28th in the standings, not all that much ahead of Haley. But he does have seven top 10s and 16 top 20s this year while having failed to finish nine races because of accidents.
Neither Haley nor Suarez has run as well as their teammates.
Ross Chastain has been top 12 in points for most of the year at Trackhouse and comparing him to rookie Shane van Gisbergen wouldn’t be all that productive considering SVG’s lack of oval experience. Michael McDowell is 21st in the standings, Carson Hocevar is 23rd and they have combined for 13 top 10s — clearly outrunning Haley.
Will this be a good fit for Suarez? Maybe.
He definitely has more experience and knows what he wants in a car. That could be a blessing and a curse. He won’t be put in a situation that is unfamiliar. But he also will have clear ideas of what he expects out of the car and the team.
The scouting report on Suarez is that he isn’t shy about sharing those expectations.
Daniel Suarez waves to fans on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400.
When Trackhouse announced he wouldn’t return next season, Suarez didn’t totally bite his tongue when commenting about the situation. He explained he was frustrated, especially when he asked for things that didn’t seem to happen.
That can be disruptive and it is up to the team to determine whether that disruption is worth it in order to achieve success. How much must the driver adapt to what the team is doing and how much does the team need to adapt to a driver’s wishes and/or needs?
Adding Suarez would also give Spire three distinct personalities in Suarez, Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar.
He would also likely be viewed as a possible short-term solution because the list of drivers available after the 2026 season could be extensive. Obviously, Spire bought the truck program and shop building from Kyle Busch, and it appears they will likely have interest in Busch after next season.
Hocevar is apparently locked in long term at Spire. So Suarez likely wouldn’t get all that long term of a deal, maybe two years at most. That also could be good for him, considering the few other options for 2026 and the potential for several options in 2027.
And certainly Spire has shown it isn’t all that worried about a contract if a driver they want is available. It doesn’t appear that they are expecting to win consistently right away, but it appears they do want consistent top-20 runs among all their drivers. And if you aren’t matching teammates, you could be out.
As far as Haley, his best move could be back to Kaulig Racing, where he had some of his best runs as an Xfinity driver.
He could return and be part of the Ram truck program and maybe run a partial Cup car if the organization wants to field a third (open) car for select races.
Both Haley and Suarez need to revive their careers and reputations after frustrating seasons. They know wherever they go, they’ll need results to continue their careers beyond 2026.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
