What’s Happening?

While it’s no secret that Justin Haley is on the hot seat at Spire Motorsports, who could replace him should the team move on from the veteran is another question. Now, a new report suggests that a shocking driver could be in the running for the No. 7.

The Latest on NASCAR Silly Season:

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Silly Season was rather quiet until early August, when Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic first reported that Justin Haley was on the proverbial hot seat in his first full-time season with Spire Motorsports.

Haley returned to Spire in 2025 after being “traded “to the team in late 2024 after proving himself at backmarker Rick Ware Racing. Prior to this current stint, Haley had raced part-time with Spire before, winning the team’s only race in a rain-shortened outing at Daytona in the summer of 2019.

Nonetheless, and despite a pairing with former Cup Series Champion Crew Chief Rodney Childers, who exited the team after just nine races, Haley has disappointed in his first full-time season with the team. This pressure to perform was confirmed by Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson during an Aug. 13 interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Initially on. Aug. 5, Bianchi reported that the team could move on before the end of the season. But, Bianchi now claims in a new Aug. 28 report that this is unlikely to happen, citing a “lack of enticing candidates” and Haley’s slowly improving stats as the reason for the driver once again shifting back into favorability with the team.

Nonetheless, Bianchi did not rule out the team moving on from Haley after the end of the season, saying, “There is no guarantee he’ll be back with Spire next year.”

While current 2026 free agent Daniel Suarez is once again (shockingly) mentioned in this report, another driver named is long-time Hyak Motorsports driver, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., as an option for the team should Spire move on from Haley.

What Is the Likelihood of This Rumor?

While it might seem easy enough to switch the two drivers out, Stenhouse is still on contract with the former JTG Daugherty Racing (which rebranded to Hyak this past off-season) after signing a “Multi-Year Contract Extension” with the team in early 2024.

Once again, much like the many conversations fans have had amongst themselves about Suarez replacing Haley, the question needs to be asked whether or not Spire would make such a change simply for the sake of making a change.

On the surface, Stenhouse has seemingly outperformed his equipment so far this season, putting up similar numbers to last season and his third season with the team. Haley‘s average start and average finish show a slightly more consistent driver.

If Spire wanted Stenhouse, Bianchi notes, they would have to work out a contract buyout. This raises the question of whether or not it’s worth the cost of switching out 26-year-old Haley for an aging driver performing at a similar level.

Should the team go this route, Stenhouse, a 37-year-old four-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, would race alongside fellow former Daytona 500 champion Michael McDowell, who is 40, and 22-year-old Carson Hocevar.

This move would shift the currently well-balanced age of Spire’s roster into a mostly veteran one, while Spire continues to attempt to improve their on-track product for long-term success.

As of right now, neither team nor driver has indicated that such a change could happen. Nonetheless, a move of this nature would open the floodgates for what has been a tranquil 2026 NASCAR Silly Season.

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