Kaulig Racing President Chris Rice might have no hard feelings concerning Justin Haley’s departure, but the news has fans split up over it. However, the deal has been made and criticism won’t change Haley’s move from Kaulig Racing to Rick Ware Racing. The move, although initiated by Kaulig Racing, was primarily circumstantial. In fact, Rice has pointed out that they “knew it was coming,” leaving the #31 Chevrolet seat up for grabs.

Recalling his time with Kaulig Racing, Haley drove expecting more wins. Yet, in the past two seasons, he hasn’t been able to qualify for the playoffs.

After 5 years of association, Justin Haley called it quits with Kaulig Racing

With a good chunk of his career in association with Kaulig Racing across the Cup Series and the Xfinity Series formats, Justin Haley has finally decided to shift teams. The 24-year-old joined Kaulig Racing in 2019 in Xfinity Series. He drove three full seasons in Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series before joining them full-time in the Cup Series last year.

In a recent interview, Justin Haley said, “It’s definitely tough. It’s never an easy decision. It was especially tough for me considering how Kaulig Racing and Matt Kaulig had done for me. Obviously, I don’t want to stay here and say that it was a decision that was super easy to make. It was a decision I pondered upon for months.”

Haley has deep connections with the Kaulig Racing team and the owners as well. However, having no race wins and only four top-five finishes in two years played a role. Further, a long-time sponsor and supporter of Haley’s #31 Chevrolet, LeafFilter Gutter Protection, hasn’t struck a deal with Kaulig Racing this year. So, it seems the best move forward was to switch things up.

At the Pocono Raceway, Rice confirmed, “The door wasn’t closed. It wasn’t like anybody got fired or anything like that. It was just we both had to make a tough decision (of), ‘Hey, we’ve got to move in a different direction and look at things for partners and different avenues.’ I think him making his move was because of us telling him that.”

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Moving on, in December 2022, it was announced that Rick Ware Racing will end its technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing and will align with RFK Racing. In turn, the new crossover played a big role in Justin Haley signing the contract.

At RWR, Haley will be looking forward to having an iconic driver as his mentor

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In the 2023 season, Rick Ware Racing has been a jump in their overall performance when compared to last year. Despite the fact that consistent top-10 finishes still elude the team, it was good enough for Haley to be optimistic and be part of the new process.

Banking on the positives, Haley admitted, “For me, to have the kind of resources that RFK brings with Rick Ware Racing, and having that great partnership was huge for me. That made the decision a little bit easier. They have a new alliance with RFK and are able to utilize that and having Brad Keselowski as a mentor, you know, such a great driver in the sport, it was huge for me.”

Haley expressed his gratitude toward Rick Ware, and said, “At the end of the day, Rick Ware was very genuine to me. He was honest and he believes in me, and as a young driver, I couldn’t ask for anything more.” 

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