Justin Haley's race recap in the 2026 Chase race at Talladega

Justin Haley endured a challenging afternoon during Friday’s Love’s RV Stop 225 at Talladega Superspeedway, finishing 20th after an early tire problem disrupted his race. The Kaulig Racing driver started 17th and led two laps before encountering difficulties.

Haley initially demonstrated competitive speed in his No. 16 Ram, moving toward the front during the opening stage. However, his afternoon changed on Lap 13 when a flat tire forced him to slow while running in traffic. Contact from Kaden Honeycutt briefly sent Haley sideways, but he managed to save the truck and return to pit road without triggering a caution.

The unscheduled stop cost Haley valuable track position and forced him to spend much of the remainder of the event attempting to recover. Despite the setback, he remained competitive during the second stage, finishing ninth and collecting two additional points.

The final stage featured multiple accidents and an overtime finish, but Haley could not regain the lost laps. He ultimately completed 84 laps and finished 20th, two laps behind winner Sammy Smith. Haley earned 19 points and maintained 14th in the overall NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings with 475 points.

He will look to finish the season strongly at Martinsville and Homestead-Miami.

This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Justin Haley’s race recap in the 2026 Chase race at Talladega