It's been a rather quiet silly season for the NASCAR Cup Series, but there was one move that just about everybody was expecting. On Tuesday, it was finally confirmed after months of speculation.
Justin Haley will not return to the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet in 2026, after a season that can only be described as a disappointment. The Indiana native sits 31st in points and has lagged considerably behind teammates Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell.
The next move for Spire Motorsports seems too obvious, and so does Haley's new destination for 2026.
Daniel Suarez to Spire, Justin Haley to Kaulig Trucks?
Both moves seem like no-brainers.
For whatever reason, Haley's second stint with Spire Motorsports just never worked out. Both team and driver are much more experienced than they were when they were formerly together on a part-time basis between 2019 and 2021, but the leap in performance never happened. If anything, his results were a downgrade on how the oft-ridiculed Corey LaJoie ran in the same car.
Now, Spire Motorsports will be looking for their third full-time driver of the No. 7 car in as many years. One candidate seems to stand out above the rest: Daniel Suarez, who is still a pending free agent after it was announced he won't return for a sixth season in the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet.
Suarez is a two-time Cup Series race winner, and prior to this year, he hadn't finished outside the top 20 in points since Trackhouse Racing's inaugural season in 2021. He's hit double-digit top 10 finishes four times in his nine-year career and triple-digit laps led three times. He's certainly a driver who is worthy of competing at NASCAR's top level.
Spire Motorsports' recent opening might be his only hope to stay in the Cup Series in 2026, and Chevrolet doesn't have any prospects beyond Connor Zilisch, who has already been confirmed as Suarez's replacement, who seem likely to make the jump.
It's hard to see who else would even be considered a candidate to drive this car, and it's already been hinted on LaJoie's Stacking Pennies podcast that this is likely the move.
As for Haley, there's a clear move for him too. Kaulig Racing are expected to run no fewer than five full-time trucks in the Craftsman Truck Series next year as the flagship operation for RAM's return to the grid. No drivers have been confirmed yet, leaving a large handful of opportunities on the table.
Haley previously drove for Kaulig Racing in both the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series, but both of those avenues seem unlikely.
The organization's Xfinity Series operation could be in trouble due to the focus shifting towards the new Truck team, and while they can certainly aim higher than Ty Dillon in the No. 10 Cup car, the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400 winner is simply a driver who would be better off finding a home in the lower levels.
Fans can likely expect both of these moves to be announced before too long. Certain silly season dominos can trigger a full-scale chain reaction effect, but this one should be fairly straightforward.