Recently, news broke that Kaulig Racing driver Justin Haley would be jumping ship. Of course, this would not be immediate, but he will depart the team in 2024.

As it turns out, he will ply his trade with the Rick Ware Racing team on a multi-year contract. The NASCAR organization had already experienced a few driver issues in the form of Cody Ware. Though if we’re being honest, that saga is a completely different kettle of fish. However, it is worth mentioning that Haley has also been a part of a fair share of controversies, which we’ll talk about a little later in the article.

How did NASCAR fans react to the news of his recruitment?

Apparently, Haley has a bit of a reputation in the NASCAR paddock where he often talks back to NASCAR. Additionally, his only Cup Series win at the Daytona International Speedway in 2019 was achieved in a controversial fashion.

Safe to say, a fair number of fans were baffled that the 24-year-old was given this opportunity. Some wondered whether this was actually a joke and others predicted that he would perform terribly.

One response read, “Oh great, another average driver joining an average team. Just what the racing world needed.”

Few even wondered how he managed to get the ride over more worthy drivers. According to one fan, “Surprised he has a ride at all when guys like JhN and Custer are stuck in Xfinity”. Another predicted that the partnership would either yield handsome rewards or end in disaster. So it is easy to say that Haley is not exactly very popular among the fans, especially to compete for Rick Ware Racing.

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What happened during that Daytona race in 2019?

As it happened, Haley arguably got lucky during that race weekend. This was because there was a massive crash which he managed to escape unscathed. Later on, it began to rain heavily, and the rain was halted for a while before eventually being called off. At the time, Justin Haley was the race leader, so by default he was the race winner.

A year earlier, during the Xfinity Series race at Daytona itself, he had his win taken away. This was because he had completed a last-lap overtake by going beyond the track limits. Normally, if the drivers go below the yellow line on his own power, they are disqualified. The only exception is if they are forced off the track by a rival, and on that occasion, the opponent gets penalized. Since Haley dipped below the line on his own, he was the guilty party.

Now, the 24-year-old is hopefully older and wiser. So he would be aiming for better results, achieved legally.

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