WINAMAC — Pulaski County had plenty of reason to cheer during NASCAR’s inaugural Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum on Feb. 6.
Winamac’s Justin Haley, who plans to run full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series circuit driving for Kaulig Racing in the No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro, wound up 19th in the final running order after crashing into the wall with 34 laps remaining in the 150-lap race.
Haley had been consistently running between third and fifth for most of the Clash until contact from behind by defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson sent him into the infield barriers on Lap 116 and effectively out of the race.
But he did much better than what the final tally shows.
Haley posted the third-fastest time in qualifying on Feb. 5 (posting a 13.891 lap, 64.790 mph) and won his heat race, leading all 25 laps from the pole, to start in the second row (third overall) for the main event.
In a post to Twitter, Haley said, “We proved that we belong, and that means more to me than anything,” he wrote. “Unreal weekend from @LeafFilter & @KauligRacing.”
LeafFilter Gutter Protection is Haley’s main sponsor for his No. 31 NextGen car.
The Clash is a non-points race that does not count towards the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series championship.
According to his profile on NASCAR.com, Haley was a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 11 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing. He has four Xfinity Series wins – all on superspeedways.
Haley competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series from 2017-18, winning a combined three races and advancing to the Championship 4 playoff round in 2018. He won the 2016 ARCA Menards Series East championship.
He won his first NASCAR Cup Series race in 2019 driving the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet.