This was unlikely, even for Daytona. As far as I can see, in my two minutes of looking, there’s not even a free to use image of Justin, or his #77 Spire Motorsports car on the internet. So, we will substitute this other Wikipedia commons image of a different #77 car instead. It must feel awesome to get the biggest upset win at Daytona since Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 in 2011. It certainly won’t hurt Justin’s career. He’ll have fun with this for a while. However, I don’t expect Spire Motorsports to suddenly start lighting the world on fire with that car. The money will be a help, but in all likelihood, they will finish in the back again at Kentucky, Pocono, and so on. Spire Motorsports is one of the slowest teams on the circuit under normal circumstances. This was a rain shortened race. Had it been able to go its full distance, it’s unlikely Justin would have been able to stay up there. Don’t get me wrong, he’s headed for a career in the Cup series eventually. His Xfinity series numbers have been good. He will be here full time eventually, but if he wants to be consistent, it won’t be with this team. They did get their first win of the season before Stewart Haas Racing. That is a cool statistic that nobody can take away from them. So, enjoy the win, guys. A win is a win, no matter what kind of technicalities happen.
Anyone who bet on Justin Haley to win today got ahold of some serious money. It would be cool to see what Justin can do in a more competitive car on a non restrictor plate track.