As the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series winds down, the garage area buzzes with changes that keep teams on their toes. Kaulig Racing, nestled right on the Richard Childress Racing campus in Welcome, North Carolina, has leaned on that technical alliance for years to keep its two-car operation humming with Chevrolet power. But whispers of strain have grown louder this season, especially with Kaulig’s bold push into the Craftsman Truck Series alongside Ram for 2026, forcing everyone to rethink their playbook.

Justin Haley knows that uncertainty all too well after a tough year in Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet, where he’s posted a 22.06 average finish, just one top-five at Daytona, and sits 31st in points. Now parting ways with Spire at season’s end, the 26-year-old finds himself without a seat, drawing eyes back to his roots at Kaulig. And CEO Chris Rice stepped up recently to address the chatter around Haley’s future.

Kaulig goes solo, squeezing RCR and Haley’s options

Kaulig Racing’s decision to sever ties with Richard Childress Racing hits hard for the veteran team owner, stripping away a key technical lifeline that’s bolstered both outfits since Kaulig’s Cup debut in 2021. With Kaulig’s shop literally sharing space on RCR’s campus, the alliance meant shared engineering smarts, data swaps, and a “One Welcome” vibe that helped Kaulig snag two Cup wins through A.J. Allmendinger.

If I’m not mistaken @C_Rice1 also mentioned on @SiriusXMNASCAR‘s The Morning Drive that @KauligRacing‘s alliance with Richard Childress Racing would be coming to an end and that the team would be “on their own” starting with the 2026 @NASCAR season.#NASCAR https://t.co/rg2V2sGCQG

— Seth Eggert (@SethEggert91) October 15, 2025

But as Stellantis pumps $13 billion into reviving Ram and Dodge in NASCAR, Kaulig’s locked in to field five Ram trucks in 2026, complete with firewalls to shield Chevy programs in Cup and Xfinity. That corporate split ends the RCR partnership, leaving Childress to absorb the blow of losing a reliable ally just as his own three-car stable eyes stability.

Rice laid it out plainly on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio: “We’re gonna be out on our own in Cup. We’re not going to be able to alliance with RCR and do those things… So we [are] building our own Cup program, building our own bodies and different things like that.” It’s a pragmatic move born from owner Matt Kaulig’s vision to stand independent after a decade in the sport, but it stings for RCR, which now faces thinner resources without Kaulig’s two charters feeding into joint efforts.

Hiring sprees for engineers and crew signal Kaulig’s all-in bet on self-reliance, yet they underscore how one OEM pivot can ripple through the garage.

That independence extends to driver decisions, where Rice turned candid about Haley, the guy who drove Kaulig’s No. 31 full-time in 2022 and 2023 before jumping to Rick Ware and now Spire.

“You know, Justin is a part of our family, and if we can find a spot, we would love to find a spot for Justin, but we’ve kind of made our bed in the Truck Series, and we know where our Truck Drivers are going to be, and who they’re going to be. We’ve got some loose ends to tie up, and if we can find a spot for Justin, we definitely will do that,” Rice said.

He followed up: “We love Justin, we appreciate Justin and what he’s done for us, just like Blake Koch. We appreciate those guys, but sometimes you’re full.” Haley’s solid runs at Kaulig, 22nd in points his rookie year, make him a natural fit, but with Ty Dillon locked in the No. 10, Allmendinger in the No. 16, and Truck spots filling fast, the door’s barely cracked.

These shifts leave Haley navigating a tight market, but they also spotlight fresh opportunities elsewhere in the field.

Suarez could step up for Spire’s No. 7 revival

Daniel Suarez’s steady hand could steady Spire Motorsports’ wobbly No. 7 after Haley’s exit, bringing Cup savvy to a team hungry for top-20 consistency. The 33-year-old Mexican star, with 323 starts, two wins, and 75 top-10s under his belt, just wrapped a frustrating stint at Trackhouse Racing, where he notched seven top-10s but crashed out nine times en route to 28th in points.

Spire, fresh off buying Kyle Busch‘s truck operation, craves drivers who mesh with Michael McDowell and Corey Hocevar’s grit. Suarez’s bilingual energy and sponsor ties might just click, especially as insiders peg him as the frontrunner.

Suarez didn’t mince words on his Trackhouse split back in July, telling reporters, “It was a lot of relief for me because I have known for several months that it was going to happen.” That candor stems from a four-year ride marked by highs like his 2022 Sonoma triumph but lows of mismatched expectations; he pushed for tweaks that never stuck, leaving him feeling sidelined.

Now free after 2025, Suarez eyes a reset where his vocal setup feedback could push Spire forward, not disrupt, much like how he adapted at Joe Gibbs Racing early on.

Yet it’s no sure thing; Spire’s track record with the No. 7, dumping Corey LaJoie early and swapping Haley’s crew chief mid-season, screams caution. As Suarez put it post-announcement, “Sometimes things change, and we have agreed to each go in our own direction.”

His reps could haul in funding, but Spire demands results fast, eyeing Busch long-term. For a driver who’s outrun teammates like Ross Chastain at times, this feels like a bridge to bigger things in 2027, if he delivers those elusive clean runs.