On his 20th birthday, Justin Haley is set to make NASCAR Cup Series debut in this Sunday’s race, the GEICO 500, at Talladega Superspeedway.
Full-time Kaulig Racing NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Justin Haley is set to turn 20 years old on Sunday, April 28. He is also set to make his Cup Series debut on this day, as he is set to compete in the 10th race of the 36-race season, the GEICO 500, at Talladega Superspeedway.
The Winamac, Indiana native is set to drive the #77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in this 188-lap race around the four-turn, 2.66-mile (4.281-kilometer) Talladega Superspeedway oval in Lincoln, Alabama, and his #77 Chevrolet is set to be sponsored by Fraternal Order of Eagles.
Here is what Haley had to say about this opportunity, according to NBC Sports.
"“This is a dream come true. I couldn’t be prouder than to make my Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut with Spire Motorsports and the Fraternal Order of Eagles (F.O.E.). The F.O.E. has supported my career since the beginning and it feels like our program will come full circle when I make my debut on NASCAR’s biggest stage this weekend at Talladega. I’m incredibly grateful to both Spire Motorsports and the F.O.E. for this opportunity. I’m excited to get on track and see what we can do.”"
More from NASCAR Cup Series
- NASCAR Cup Series: New team set to compete in 2024
- NASCAR: Surprising name continuously linked to new seat
- NASCAR driver at risk of missing the Daytona 500?
- NASCAR set for rare appearance last seen 13 years ago
- NASCAR team adds third car, names driver for 2024 Daytona 500
Spire Motorsports are a new Cup Series team this year, as they purchased the charter that the now defunct Furniture Row Racing team used to field the #78 Toyota on a full-time basis this past offseason. They have fielded one car in each of the season’s first nine races, and they have done so for five different drivers.
Their top finish is Jamie McMurray’s 22nd place finish in the season opener, the Daytona 500, at Daytona International Speedway, although McMurray did not actually finish that wreck-filled race. Aside of this 22nd place finish, their top finish is Quin Houff’s 30th place finish in the season’s fourth race at ISM Raceway, which was Houff’s Cup Series debut.
Haley landed his current ride as the driver of the #11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series after spending two seasons driving full-time for GMS Racing in the Truck Series.
He competed in 21 of the 23 races on the 2017 schedule and finished in 12th place in the championship standings before finishing third in the 2018 standings after winning three races and advancing to the Championship 4.
Through the first eight races on the 33-race 2019 Xfinity Series schedule, Haley sits in 11th place in the championship having finished all eight races between seventh and 17th. Six of his eight finishes are top 10 finishes, and his average finishing position in these eight races is a solid 10.13.
How will Justin Haley perform in his NASCAR Cup Series debut? Tune in to Fox at 2:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, April 28 for the live broadcast of the GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway to find out.