Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Haley admits Rick Ware Racing is a ‘scrappy’ team

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Justin P Joy | Last updated 1/29/24

The most surprising driver signing made ahead of the 2024 NASCAR Cup season is, without a doubt, Justin Haley’s move to Rick Ware Racing. Haley announced his departure from Kaulig Racing, a mid-field Chevvy team, to RWR, a Ford backtracker team, midway through the 2023 season. He has already started his preparation for his debut with Rick Ware’s team.

Haley was persuaded to move to RWR by RFK Racing, co-owned by the 2012 NASCAR Cup champion Brad Keselowski. The 24-year-old racer from Indiana will drive the No:51 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, which is fielded with the help of a special technical alliance with RFK. Haley is one of the drivers Keselowski is investing in to replace him at RFK when he retires from racing.

While talking about the team and his decision to move from Kaulig, Justin Haley pointed out that he understands how things work at RCR, as the owners were very honest with him. He admitted that it’s a scrappy operation using everything they can to get the best out of their cars in the last 20 years. Haley was acknowledging RWR’s grind mentality with the words.

So, it just kind of seemed like everything had stalled out where I was and I needed to make a change for myself and I thought this was a good opportunity. Rick and Lisa Ware have both been super honest with me and welcoming and I think their personalities and how they run their race teams is awesome. They’ve been around for 20 years, and they’re scrappy. They get everything out of what they have. Haley told Motorsports.com.

Justin Haley believes he is in the right direction

Before giving the scrappy operation verdict, Haley pointed out that with the RWR move, he has positioned himself on the right path toward success. The new manufacturer in Ford and the RFK Alliance makes it a huge deal for him.

Life is about positioning yourself at the right opportunity to succeed, so, for me personally, I thought this was a good step and a good direction – aligning myself with a different manufacturer in Ford and a technical alliance with RFK (Racing) was obviously huge.

Haley will have limited expectations going into the 2024 season with RWR. He might get some opportunities to secure wins in the Superspeedway races, and on the normal tracks, he has to reserve his energy for mid-table battles. Haley will be hoping that the RWR move will become a stepping stone for his career.