Justin Haley is heading back to a familiar car for one of NASCAR’s biggest weekends of the year.
With Carson Hocevar suspended from Sunday’s Cup Series championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Spire Motorsports has turned to Haley to drive its No. 77 Chevrolet. And while the circumstances surrounding the change have attracted plenty of attention, Haley is hardly a newcomer to the organization.
In fact, the 27-year-old Indiana native has already delivered one of the most significant victories in Spire Motorsports history.
Here’s what to know about the driver stepping into Hocevar’s seat for the final race of the 2026 season.
Justin Haley Has Already Won a NASCAR Cup Series Race for Spire Motorsports
Haley’s connection to Spire goes back to 2019, when he pulled off one of the biggest surprises of that NASCAR season.
Driving the No. 77 Chevrolet, Haley won the rain-shortened Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway. The victory was his first at NASCAR’s highest level and the first for Spire Motorsports.
It also came in just his third career Cup Series start.
Haley subsequently built a career across NASCAR’s national series, spending time with Kaulig Racing, Rick Ware Racing and Spire Motorsports.
He returned to Spire as a full-time Cup Series driver in 2025, although that season proved challenging. Haley finished 31st in the standings, recording one top-five finish and two top-10 results.
Now, he’s getting another opportunity in the No. 77, albeit under circumstances nobody at Spire would have anticipated heading into the championship weekend.
What Has Justin Haley Been Doing in 2026?
Haley moved to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for 2026, taking over the No. 16 Ram for Kaulig Racing as the manufacturer returned to the series.
Through 24 starts, Haley has recorded six top-10 finishes and one top-five result. He sits 16th in the standings with 478 points, 25 laps led and an average finish of 17.54.
His best result of the season came at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he finished fourth. He also recorded a sixth-place finish at Naval Base Coronado and top-10 finishes at EchoPark Speedway, Dover Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
His most recent outing at Martinsville was considerably tougher. Haley started 17th and finished 34th.
Beyond his Cup Series victory, Haley has four wins in NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and three Truck Series victories, all earned in 2018. He also captured the 2016 ARCA Menards Series East championship.
That experience makes him a logical choice for a team facing an unexpected driver change just days before the season finale.
For Haley, Sunday’s race offers a chance to return to the Cup Series with an organization he knows well. For Spire Motorsports, it means putting a proven Cup winner behind the wheel while Hocevar serves his suspension.
Seven years after delivering Spire’s first Cup victory, Haley will once again climb into the No. 77 Chevrolet, this time with an entirely different assignment.
Who Is Justin Haley? Meet Carson Hocevar’s NASCAR Replacement at Homestead