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Rick Ware Racing made a shocking change on Friday morning. RWR and Spire Motorsports swapped drivers for the first time in recent NASCAR history. However, it appears this could be for the short term for RWR, and looking at their recent history, the reason for this becomes very apparent.
Driver trades, and informal and infrequent as they happen, make for great headlines. This one was not as unexpected as past ones. However, it occurred prior to the next year, which was shocking.
For some time now, a major rumor for the 2025 season was that Corey Lajoie would move to Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 and Justin Haley would move to the No. 7. There was little to no word this would happen as early as Bristol.
But, the rumor was that this move was for the future, with both drivers expected to hang around for 2025. But, while Spire boasted about Haley being in their lineup for next year, Rick Ware Racing team President Robby Benton made it clear Lajoie was not locked into No. 51 into next year.
Losing Justin Haley is a major loss for RWR. After leaving his longtime team, Kaulig Racing, for backmarker RWR, Haley put up previously unseen stats for the team. He took a chance on RWR, and seemingly, it paid off.
While it may have shocked some that RWR didn’t announce Lajoie as its future driver, there might be a good reason for doing so.
Justin Haley was unchartered Territory for Ware; since it opened, the team has had 42 different drivers, three of them full-time. However, Haley was a proven Cup Series talent, bringing a sense of legitimacy to RWR.
The team had a great start to the season with a young driver. Now, they have an aging driver and, seemingly, a tough decision to make in the future.
RWR’s President Robby Benton gave us some clues as to its 2025 plans on Friday, including saying, “We don’t have all our ducks in a row.” However, we do know the team is sticking with its plan from 2024 into next year, with two chartered entries, No. 15 and No. 51.
The No. 51 is the ride Lajoie is taking over, while the No. 15 has had a rotating cast this season. However, with a taste of growth, perhaps RWR will chase that feeling again.
Waiting to make anything confirmed makes sense when assessing Lajoie’s performance these last few seasons. This year, in particular, it feels like a major step back from Haley.
However, by holding out on signing Lajoie for next year, the team opens itself up to the free agent market, perhaps another risk-taker like Haley. The team has some form of legitimacy now from past years, and it’s worth looking into.
If Lajoie were to race well these next few races, RWR could keep him around. But, for now, RWR is keeping its options open, and while Lajoie refuting is a possibility, the team is seemingly refusing to take a full step back.
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