Justin Haley was 20th after the first stage of the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway and 27th after stage 2.
When the checkered flag fell, he was third.
“It’s obviously a really strong day, this is a good run for us,” Haley said post-race. “We obviously did not have a third-place car, but [crew chief] Trent Owens and everyone on the [No.] 31 team just worked hard all day, obviously we got the free pass to start stage 3 and kind of were just building momentum.
“Had a good restart there at the end, so definitely a good run for our organization. It’s something we need, we’ve been clicking off top 15s and right around that area. Show we can kind of do it here, showcase my talent, so I’m super thankful for that.”
Haley cycled out to 18th after late green-flag pit stops, subsequently avoiding the Big One on the backstretch and making his way up to fourth with 10 laps remaining. He improved to third when contact between eventual winner Joey Logano and then-leader William Byron sent the No. 24 into the wall and back into the field.
“Obviously, it was key,” Haley said of track position. “I think we probably had a 20th-place car. I wasn’t very happy with it yesterday when we unloaded and qualified 29th, which is not good for anyone. Like I said, just a trying day, we kept working at it, kept our heads in the game and never lost sight.”
It’s the fourth consecutive result improvement for Haley, who’d reeled off finishes of 14th, 12th and 11th in the weeks leading up to Darlington.
“I wouldn’t even say we needed a top five,” Haley said. “I mean, I would’ve been happy with 10th. Last week, we had a really good race at Dover and we were up front, so we’re just kind of building momentum. Obviously, I don’t think we’re a third-place team, but I think we’re around a 15th-place team and 15th-place car any day of the week and can have a good race and end up front.
“We’ll just keep building — it’s a brand-new operation,…
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