9 Days to Daytona: Spire Motorsports #7

The most disappointing element of the current format of The Clash is the 2-week break from it to the Daytona 500. Understandably, the Super Bowl interferes with the schedule but an exciting Clash race builds more anticipation for the Daytona 500. One team that will look forward to Daytona is the Spire Motorsports #7 team. Coming into 2025 with a new crew chief and (sort of) new driver, expectations are high for this team. Now in single digits, 9 Days to Daytona for Justin Haley and the Spire Motorsports #7 team to kick off their regular season.

The #7 Team

Days to Daytona: Spire Motorsports #7 - Team — Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Driver: Justin Haley

Crew Chief: Rodney Childers

Sponsors: Celsius, Gainbridge, Fraternal Order of Eagles

2024 Statistics: 3 Top-10s, 30 Laps Led, 23.4 Average Finish

2025 Season Preview

Most Potential in 2025

Justin Haley and the 7 team are the Cup team with the most potential to thrash past expectations. Spire Motorsports looks to be a team on the rise, with Haley potentially leading the charge. Paired with Rodney Childers, this driver/crew chief combination is certainly tantalizing. Haley impressed during his time with Rick Ware Racing, leading them to their first 2 Top-10s on non-superspeedways. As long as the chemistry works well, Childers should be able to maximize the equipment and driver to create a car to be reckoned with weekly.

Teammate Battle for Silly Season

On paper, Spire Motorsports looks set to grow into a contending team in the years to come. Along with Justin Haley, Michael McDowell joined the organization to be the veteran to lead the team forward. However, the future is set with the young duo of Haley and Hocevar. Both drivers seem loaded with talent and should only grow in the coming years. The big question is whether Spire Motorsports will be able to retain them for long. Much like Hocevar, Haley looks to be a popular commodity in the driver market. If his early season goes well, could a top team pick Haley over Hocevar from the Spire camp?

Properly Gauging Expectations

Offseason hype can be a dangerous thing. In theory, Spire Motorsports could be a vastly improved team in 2025. Theoretically, Rodney Childers and Justin Haley should bring the 7 team to relevance and maybe a playoff spot. However, reality can strike quickly. The 7 team are a popular “dark horse” team, but maybe expectations are inflating too much. While things did go well during The Clash, the strength of this team will not be known until a third of the season is over. Before penciling in Haley for a win and playoff spot, maybe the best idea is to keep expectations at moderate levels.

Daytona 500 Outlook

Days to Daytona: Spire Motorsports #7 - Haley — Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It is still a bit crazy that Justin Haley is a former Daytona winner. Granted, Haley has proven to be a superior superspeedway racer during his Xfinity Series career. In NASCAR’s second series, Haley has racked up 4 wins, including 2 at Daytona. Clearly, Haley knows his way through the draft. Despite consistently racing in subpair equipment, other drivers trust Haley to push/be pushed. However, that has not led to a lot of success at the World Center of Racing.

Since his 2019 Daytona win, Haley has only racked up a single Top-10 in his following 8 starts (2021). After averaging a 6.67 finish in his first 3 starts, Haley has only managed a single lead lap finish over his past 6. Wrecks have found Haley consistently in his NextGen Daytona career. However, the overall runs have been better before the incidents. Last year, Haley spent the bulk of Stage 2 of the 500 on the bumper of the race leader. In the summer race, the young driver led 21 laps. If Haley can avoid the cautions this year, he would make another good sleeper pick for the Harley J Earl Trophy.