Justin Haley Hoping Clash Sets Tone for Crucial Season

Justin Haley was the fastest driver in qualifying on Saturday night at the Coliseum, but that doesn't even guarantee that he will be in the 27-car main event tonight. The 23-year old from Indiana took the top honors in qualifying, and hopes to make up for a disappointing Clash debut last year.

Haley showed similar speed in this inaugural event to begin last season, winning one of the Heat races. After starting in 3rd place in the main event though, things went south and he ended up finishing 19th after he was taken out by a frustrated Kyle Larson.

Redemption will be on his mind tonight, but the driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing is focused on having a breakout season.

"I feel pretty confident about where we are," Haley said after his pole run. "It’s obviously a good place to start the season. Not sure why we’re so good here. I wish I had this talent at all the races but pretty thankful and it’s really cool to give Kaulig Racing their first pole, my first pole as a driver in my second year as a driver here."

This is a big year for Haley, as he admitted during qualifying last night. He does not have a contract for next season, but is betting on himself to change that. Haley might be the least-talked about driver in the garage, but he has shown plenty of potential throughout his brief stint in the Cup series.

While he may not have set the world on fire last season, Haley did produce some solid finishes throughout. He was 3rd at Darlington, 7th at Atlanta, and scored two top-five finishes in the playoffs - a 3rd place finish at Texas and a 5th on the Charlotte Roval. He led 44 laps over the course of the season and only had one DNF due to a crash.

Now in his third full-time season (and second with Kaulig) Haley is ready to prove himself. He obviously has a great opportunity in front of him tonight, but the playing field will be even next week in Daytona. While it wasn't the Great American Race, Haley has won a Cup race on the iconic track, and certainly knows how to navigate the traffic.

With Kevin Harvick retiring at the end of this season, and a few more () that could join him, there will be some high-profile seats to fill in the offseason. Nothing is guaranteed, but Haley should be able to secure a ride with a good team. His preference though, is to stay right where he’s at.

Matt Kaulig has built a formidable two-car lineup with veteran AJ Allmendinger committing to full-season status this year. Much like Trackhouse and 23XI Racing last year, this organization has the potential to be a breakout team. They are in the same boat as RFK Racing and RCR this year, but they have the resources and personnel to make it happen.

There are no points awarded for the winner of the main event tonight, but there is momentum that can be carried into Daytona, which can set the table for the rest of the season. It worked last year for Team Penske, as Joey Logano won the Clash, Austin Cindric won the Daytona 500, Ryan Blaney won the All-Star race, and Logano capped it off with a championship.

Those might be lofty goals for Haley in his third season, but this is an organization that certainly believes those things are achievable.