When Spire Motorsports announced that Corey LaJoie wouldn’t return for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, Kyle Busch quickly emerged as a top candidate to take his spot in the No. 7 Chevrolet. This speculation was fueled by Busch’s recent connection to Spire Motorsports. He had sold his Truck Series team, Kyle Busch Motorsports, to Spire at the end of the 2023 season and even competed for the team at the Truck level in 2024, securing two wins in five starts.
However, Busch’s potential move to Spire was also linked to a more pressing issue: his frustration with his current team, Richard Childress Racing (RCR). After leaving Joe Gibbs Racing for RCR in 2023, Busch’s performance saw a sharp decline. Although he had an impressive start with three wins in the first half of 2023, his results faltered during the second half of the season. Unfortunately, this downward trend continued into 2024.
The two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion experienced an unusually tough year in 2024. For the first time since 2012, Busch failed to win a race during the regular season and missed the playoffs entirely. If he doesn’t secure a win in the remaining seven races of the 2024 season, it will mark the first time in his full-time Cup Series career that he finishes a season without a victory. This would end his 19-season win streak, which set a new record last year when he surpassed Richard Petty’s 18 consecutive winning seasons.
Despite these struggles, Busch won’t be moving to Spire Motorsports for 2025. The rumors of him replacing LaJoie began to cool off, largely because his contract with Richard Childress Racing already extends through the 2025 season. As a result, there is now no chance of Busch making the switch to Spire, and he will remain with RCR for at least one more year.
Meanwhile, Spire Motorsports decided to act quickly in finding LaJoie’s replacement. Instead of waiting until the end of the 2024 season, they announced that Justin Haley, who had moved from Kaulig Racing to Rick Ware Racing after the 2023 season, will take over LaJoie’s seat in the No. 7 Chevrolet. The change will take effect immediately, with Haley making his debut for Spire at Kansas Speedway.
In turn, LaJoie is set to move to Rick Ware Racing, where he’ll take over Haley’s old ride in the No. 51 Ford. This switch marks a homecoming of sorts for Haley, as he previously raced for Spire Motorsports and remains the team’s only Cup Series winner. His breakthrough victory came in just his third career start back in July 2019, when he pulled off a stunning upset at Daytona International Speedway during Spire’s debut season in the Cup Series.
Haley’s return to Spire Motorsports not only reunites him with the team that gave him his first big break, but also locks in Spire’s driver lineup for the 2025 season. Along with Haley in the No. 7, Michael McDowell will leave Front Row Motorsports after seven seasons to drive the No. 71 Chevrolet, replacing Zane Smith. Meanwhile, Carson Hocevar will stay on after an impressive rookie season in the No. 77 Chevrolet.
As for Kyle Busch, he is confirmed to return to Richard Childress Racing for a third year behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevrolet in 2025. Beyond that, his future remains uncertain, as his contract with RCR expires at the end of next year. Whether Busch can turn things around and reignite his winning ways or if another team, possibly Spire, could be in his future for 2026 is something to watch closely in the coming year.
In summary, while the rumors linking Kyle Busch to Spire Motorsports have been put to rest, the shuffle of drivers continues to shake up the NASCAR landscape. Justin Haley’s surprising move to Spire, Corey LaJoie’s switch to Rick Ware Racing, and Busch’s ongoing struggles at Richard Childress Racing set the stage for an intriguing 2025 season. With Haley’s reunion with Spire and the team’s driver lineup now set, all eyes will be on how these changes impact the competition moving forward.
