Ahead of the biggest opportunity of his NASCAR Cup Series career, Corey Lajoie has been sleeping well.
A bit too well, in fact. He missed the initial call from Rick Hendrick that made his dreams come true on Wednesday morning. A voicemail from a number he didn’t have saved began with Hendrick saying he was excited, appreciated the help, and knew LaJoie would do a good job.
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“I told the wife, ‘Honey, I missed the call,” LaJoie said during a Saturday media availability.
But thankfully Hendrick answered when LaJoie called him back and confirmed the news. With Chase Elliott sitting out with a suspension for an intentional crash at the Coca-Cola 600, LaJoie was given the opportunity to drive his No. 9 Chevrolet at World Wide Technology Raceway. A full 25 years after his dad, Randy LaJoie, had filled in for the injured Ricky Craven at Hendrick Motorsports, Corey’s opportunity to drive for the NASCAR juggernaut had arrived.
In the moment it felt like something from the NASCAR video games in the mid-2000s.
“In NASCAR (2004), you would start your career mode in the bottom team,” he said. “Then you’d get the call up for the next team, and the next team. And then you’d get a notification on your phone from Rick Hendrick to drive that car.
“That’s what I felt like laying in bed on Wednesday morning talking to the wife. I was like, ‘My life is a video game right now.’
“It’s just non-stop progression and failure. Just falling short time-and-time again, but (I) keep taking steps forward to the goal of getting to the position that I am (in) right now. It’s been wild.”
The son of a two-time Xfinity Series champion, LaJoie has spent most of the past seven years competing in the Cup Series. Along the way he’s made slow, steady progress, rising from times as a back marker into a consistent midfield competitor.
This season has been his best to date. LaJoie sits 19th in points after 14 races, his 19.1 average finish a full 5.2 positions better than the 24.3 average he managed in 2022. The 31-year-old finished fourth at Atlanta Motor Speedway and has eight top-20 finishes so far for Spire Motorsports – a team that’s traditionally filled the back of the grid since its arrival.
LaJoie’s improvement has been notable, catching the eye of many in the series. With the Xfinity Series racing in Portland, far from the Cup date at World Wide Technology Raceway, Hendrick needed a new option from recent super-sub Josh Berry.
The call went to LaJoie, whose No. 7 will be filled by Craftsman Truck Series regular Carson Hocevar. LaJoie found out on a call while he was at the NASCAR offices recording his podcast on Tuesday, then he received the call from Hendrick himself on Wednesday morning.
Between those two calls were creeping doubts. “You’re wrestling with these emotions, scared and nervous,” he said.
But when he got to the shop on Wednesday morning, the doubt turned to confidence. Seeing how Hendrick operates gave LaJoie optimism and lessons that will extend far beyond his one-off drive in the No. 9.
“I left with much more confidence Wednesday from seeing the process and just the system that those guys have,” he said. “That you could plug in somebody with good talent, and that’s how they become great in the process, with those tools and resources. Those guys build champions for a reason, because they can extract the best.
“I’ve been here three days. My philosophy of how I approach a weekend, how I prepare, how I am going to engage with my team at Spire going forward is going to change. I think I’m going to be able to come in there and apply and share some of the things I’ve learned over the course of the week with (crew chief Ryan) Sparks, Roy (Gangdal, engineer) and the No. 77 team as well. And I think we’re all going to be stronger for it. “
LaJoie first tried to drive for Hendrick three years ago. Then a driver for Go Fas Racing, LaJoie penned Hendrick a hand-written letter expressing his interest in a top-tier ride. He delivered it in person at the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s induction night.
It didn’t help his case at the time. The vacancy he was interested in ultimately went to eventual champion Kyle Larson in 2021. But LaJoie doesn’t consider that a bad thing – he actually believes it’s for the best that the letter didn’t work out.
“I’m glad that call didn’t come a couple months after that letter, because I wouldn’t have been ready for it,” he admitted. “I wouldn’t have been ready for the opportunity. My maturation level, my skills behind the wheel. It’s taken six years of grinding and stacking pennies to feel confident enough to be able to plug into this 9 car and run it to its true potential.”
Now that he has this one-off chance, LaJoie feels ready to make the most of it.
He’ll have to return to Spire after this weekend, where the expectations will be different. LaJoie now realizes just how much Spire is lacking compared to the sport’s top teams. He texted co-owner Jeff Dickerson after visiting Hendrick’s shop Wednesday and admitted that he “can’t believe Spire and Hendrick race in the same series.”
“Like, we are closer to a good Truck team than we are to (Hendrick),” he said. “If that’s what a Cup team is, then holy cow. We’ve got a long way to go.”
But that’s a challenge for another week. This weekend, LaJoie is just happy to race with a rare opportunity in top equipment.
“It’s fun sometimes to carry that chip on your shoulder and try to be the one beating the Goliaths,” LaJoie said. “But it’s definitely a cool opportunity this week to be one of the Goliaths sitting in (a top car).”