NASCAR driver proving he deserves upcoming promotion

Justin Haley is proving why he deserves his upcoming promotion to the NASCAR Cup Series for the 2022 season with Kaulig Racing.

Starting in 2022, Justin Haley is set to drive the #16 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series.

After the announcement that Kaulig Racing purchased two charters from Spire Motorsports for 2022, it is no surprise that Haley was selected as the team’s first full-time Cup driver.

Haley has driven full-time in the Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing for the last three seasons, steadily improving not only himself as a driver but the entire organization.

https://twitter.com/KauligRacing/status/1405964991228952577?s=20

This season, the Winamac, Indiana native is showing why Matt Kaulig is making a wise decision to run him full-time in the Cup Series next season.

Haley has been one of the most consistent drivers in the Xfinity Series this season, finding himself in the round of 8 of the playoffs. He has also run much of the Cup Series schedule behind the wheel of the #77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports.

After a fourth place finish at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, Haley became the only driver in the Xfinity Series to finish in the top 10 in every one of the seven road course races in 2021.

Of the full-time drivers in the Xfinity Series, Haley boasts the fourth best average finish at 10.3 and ranks second in top 10 finishes with 22, despite the fact that he missed the race at Dover International Speedway back in mid-May.

Haley’s lone win in 2021 came at Daytona International Speedway in August, when he continued his winning ways at the superspeedways.

In the last 10 Xfinity Series superspeedway races, Haley has four wins, five top five finishes, nine top 10 finishes and an average finish of 6.3. He leads the series in all four of those categories.

Though the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway was rain-shortened, Haley was able to put himself in position to collect his first career Cup Series win. It what was a historic upset for a team that had never previously had a lead-lap finish in the Cup Series.

Next year’s Cup Series schedule features six road course races and four superspeedway races, which will play into the favor of Haley and Kaulig Racing in their first year together at the sport’s top level.

Several strong seasons in the Xfinity Series and experience in the Cup Series bode well for Justin Haley and the #16 team to succeed long-term. Look for them to have some memorable, strong moments in the Cup Series in 2022.