There are only two regular-season races left on the NASCAR schedule in the Cup Series. While many drivers are battling for the final playoff spots and positioning ahead of the postseason, Justin Haley is now confirmed to be racing for his job at Spire Motorsports next season.
During an appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio , Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson admitted Haley and the No. 7 team are under significant pressure right now because they haven't met expectations. While he still has a few more races to prove himself to Spire, the current results are "not good enough" to stick around.
"There's pressure internally and externally that we all have to answer to and kinda meet. It's no secret that Justin and that team haven't performed up to the expectations that we've set forth. That's something we're constantly discussing, how do we do better? How do we make this go better?…We are to a place where we have to meet those expectations. It's not good enough for us to just make it to the race track anymore or just run 30th anymore; we just can't do it."
Related: Justin Haley on the Hot Seat, Spire Motorsports Could Replace Him Soon
Justin Haley stats ( Cup Series ): 388 points, 1 top 10, 0 top 5s, 0 poles, 1 DNF, 18 laps led, 22.208 average starting position, 21.542 average finishing position in 24 races
Dickerson did credit Haley with how he's responded to the NASCAR rumors of being replaced. Since Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported on August 5 that Haley has the hottest seat in the Cup Series, the driver of the No. 7 car has two top-27 finishes. Over the last six races, he has had a 19.166 average finishing position .
There's also a strong argument to be made that the 26-year-old driver hasn't necessarily been put in the best position for success this season. In April, Spire cut ties with Haley's crew chief, Rodney Childers, and Haley's pit crew was overhauled in order to help out Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team. On top of all that, Haley's car chief left to take over in the same role for Ty Gibbs at Joe Gibbs Racing .
Related: Potential Justin Haley Replacement Emerges for Spire Motorsports
The difficulty for Spire is that there aren't a ton of viable options out there. Daniel Suarez will be a free agent after Trackhouse Racing moved on from him, and top NASCAR prospect Corey Heim could be a potential target with Kaden Honeycutt seemingly poised to take over the No. 11 truck next season.
However, there's no clear argument that Suarez is a better driver. Heading into Richmond, Suarez is only five points ahead of Haley NASCAR standings despite driving for a better team and having more stability around him. If Spire is determined to make a change, though, Suarez might be its likeliest replacement option.
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