Dale Earnhardt Jr Unearths Matt Kaulig’s Team Trajectory After Stealing Jimmie Johnson’s Driver

With the mid-season announcement of Kaulig Racing parting with their #31 driver, speculations were rife for the sudden change. Dale Earnhardt Jr invited the Cup Series racer to discuss his future career path with Rick Ware Racing. Prior to that, the Hall of Famer brought up a similar career move from five years ago that established Kaulig Racing’s legitimacy.

Justin Haley was a title contender for GMS Racing in the Truck Series when Matt Kaulig paid him a visit. He jumped ship to prove his mettle as an Xfinity and Cup Series racer. And the rest, as they say, was history.

Justin Haley opens up to Dale Earnhardt Jr about his adventure with Matt Kaulig & Co.

The operations of GMS Racing were restricted to the Truck Series before Jimmie Johnson joined as part owner and expanded it to Legacy Motor Club. On the other hand, Kaulig Racing fielded a single car in the Xfinity Series, first with Blake Koch and then with Ryan Truex. The stars aligned when Matt Kaulig sought an ambitious young driver and Justin Haley aimed further than the Truck Series.

Justin Haley went down memory lane with Dale Earnhardt Jr in his podcast, The Dale Jr. Download. When asked about the shift to Kaulig, Haley pointed toward the lack of Xfinity teams in GMS Racing during that time. In fact the year after his move, they introduced one with the current Xfinity star John Hunter Nemechek. Thus, Haley grabbed the incoming opportunity with Chris Rice as his crew chief.

Justin Haley explained, “At the time, they only had trucks and I think the next year they started an Xfinity team with Nemechek. Chris Rice and Matt [Kaulig], they I guess studied me and watched my truck deal and started talking to me. And showed interest in me and wanted me to drive their car.”

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Dale Jr then observed the discernible shift in the team’s performance. When Kaulig approached Haley, they had a lackluster year with #11 driver Ryan Truex. He could only mark one Top 5 finish and largely finished in the middle order throughout the year. As Haley pointed out, “It was one car. When I started at Kaulig, we had one Xfinity car.”

But all that changed with Justin Haley’s addition to the racing team.

Justin Haley is grateful for his early days with Kaulig Racing before departing this season

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Once Justin Haley took over, the team entered as a final 4 contender in the playoffs after his spectacular wins at Talladega and Daytona. It provided enough standing for Matt Kaulig to include more drivers such as Ross Chastain and A. J. Allmendinger. Haley and Allmendinger eventually moved into the Cup Series and the latter’s #16 car led to Kaulig Racing’s first Cup win at Indianapolis.

Moreover, a team lacking accomplishments served as a great morale booster for the newcomer. Justin Haley experienced his rookie season without the pressure of following in someone’s footsteps. And now that Haley would once again compete with an unfamiliar crew, he felt fortunate for the opportunity to sharpen his skills with a developing team like Kaulig.

Haley recalled, “We made the playoffs, we were fast at times but I mean I think it was a good step for me just because the expectations were a little bit lower. And I could go in there and kind of be under the radar until I figured it out. And then obviously we got Ross and AJ in there and really started building speed, finding some good equipment, like really running good.”

With Justin Haley’s move to Rick Ware Racing and Daniel Hemric taking on his role as the #31 driver, the next season promises some interesting dynamics ahead.

Watch this story: Dale Earnhardt Jr Settles the Debate Between Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, Identifying the True Greatest of All Time at Hendrick Motorsports