Racing in the Indianapolis 500 sure looks like an opportunity no driver would want to miss out on. It is one of the biggest races of the year and will also see former Cup Series champion Kyle Larson participate in the 2024 season. However, the Hendrick Motorsports star was not the only one who was approached with the opportunity recently. Indiana-born Cup Series racer Justin Haley was also presented with multiple Indy 500 opportunities but the 24-year-old recently revealed that he had turned them all down.

Haley will run the 2024 Cup season with Rick Ware Racing after two full-time campaigns with Kaulig Racing in the competition. He has only won one race so far in the Cup Series and will be looking to add to that tally this year. Starting a new season with a new team is always challenging but the 24-year-old will be raring to go as soon as the season starts.

Rick Ware Racing driver refuses to rule out Indy 500 appearance

So why did he turn down the Indy 500 opportunities? Being from Indiana, one would think that Justin Haley has a personal connection to the iconic race. Speaking to Frontstretch, the former Kaulig Racing driver laid out multiple reasons for his decision. Firstly, he does not feel that he is ready to take on the challenge just yet and secondly, his main focus is on the NASCAR Cup Series at the moment.

“I’ve actually turned down one or two Indy 500 ride, which is surprising. I don’t feel like there…I’m quite ready for it yet but yeah I had an opportunity to run it a few years back and I think one other time  So yeah, I don’t know, not quite yet. I’m not quite to the point in my career where I feel like that’s something I want to tackle. Obviously, it’d be fun being from Indiana and growing up watching the Indy 500 but I don’t know, I just feel I wanna focus on…for me it’s kind of all focus on the Cup Series,” the 24-year-old said.

However, Justin Haley has not said no to Indy 500 opportunities in the future. At 24, his primary focus is on becoming a mainstay in the Cup Series, which is easier said than done. Perhaps when he reaches a sarisfactory level, he will entertain the idea of running in an Indy Car. “No, I mean it’s not, I mean we’d love to talk but it hasn’t interested me too much yet,” he said when asked if an Indy 500 run was completely off the table.

It’s no wonder that Justin Haley wants to mainly focus on the NASCAR Cup Series this year, given that he will be racing for a new team. Rick Ware Racing announced the 24-year-old’s inclusion in their 2024 Cup program on Tuesday and he will be paired up with a championship-winning crew chief.

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High hopes for Cup Series star ahead of new season with new team

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Haley will be teaming up with crew chief Chris Lawson. Lawson is the man who steered Zane Smith to Truck Series glory. While winning the Cup Series may be a far-fetched dream at the moment, for a team like Rick Ware Racing, their owner has high hopes going into the new season.

“Justin is an exceptionally talented racecar driver and all of us at RWR are looking forward to having him in our equipment. We’re building RWR into a competitive NASCAR team that is on par with the success we enjoyed last year in drag racing and motorcycle racing. Justin wants to win, Chris Lawson wants to win, and that’s the kind of mindset we need to elevate our NASCAR program,” team owner Rick Ware said.

Fans will be waiting to see how Justin Haley performs behind the wheel of the #51 car. How do you think the 24-year-old will fare in the Cup Series in 2024? Let us know your thoughts.

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