CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Justin Haley completed one of the best races in Rick Ware Racing's history while raising money for the families of the officers killed in Charlotte in April.
Haley finished ninth in the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday in the No. 51 Ford Mustang for Rick Ware Racing (RWR). It's the first time the team has finished in the top 10 at a non-superspeedway track -- Atlanta, Daytona, and Talladega.
The No. 51 was sponsored by the North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 9 and carried the names of the four officers killed in Charlotte on April 29, Joshua Eyer, Alden Elliott, Sam Poloche, and Thomas Weeks. The lodge covers Mecklenburg County.
The lodge requested donations during the race to be given to the victims' families. Haley and his family matched all donations given during the race. The lodge has not released how many donations were made during the race.
"From the moment we unloaded it was super into the track and fast," Haley said in a release. "It’s really cool to bring home a top-10 for Rick, everyone on the team, and all of the guests from NC Fraternal Order of Police and the families and friends of the fallen officers who we carried with us on the car today.”
It's the 14th top 10 of Haley's career and his first since Talladega in 2023. RWR's last top 10 came at Atlanta in 2023 when J.J. Yeley finished seventh.
The four officers were killed on April 29 in east Charlotte. Elliott, Poloche, and Weeks were serving with a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. Eyer was with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Officers were serving a warrant when a suspect shot them. A total of nine officers were hurt in the incident.
