Tag: Corey LaJoie

RWR and Spire to swap Haley and LaJoie after Bristol

Rick Ware Racing and Spire Motorsports will trade drivers after Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway to get a head start on the 2025 season. Corey LaJoie will drive the No. 51 Ford Mustang for Ware beginning at Kansas …

Rick Ware Racing and Spire Motorsports will trade drivers after Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway to get a head start on the 2025 season. Corey LaJoie will drive the No. 51 Ford Mustang for Ware beginning at Kansas Speedway (Sept. 29). Justin Haley will take over the No. 7 Chevrolet at Spire.

“Corey LaJoie has been a cornerstone of Spire Motorsports and we’re incredibly appreciative of all the time, effort and energy he has invested in our program,” said Spire Motorsports president Jeff Dickerson. “RWR is getting a workhorse in Corey. He’s dedicated to his craft and his tenacity brings out the best in those around him.

“We’ve known Justin Haley for many years and have been bullish on his talent from the beginning of his NASCAR career. Justin, and his win at Daytona, put us both on the map. It was a pivotal moment for his career and our organization. We’ve both grown since that day, as Justin has proven his talent in the Cup garage and he comes back to an organization that is very different from the one he left a few years ago. Getting back together now, rather than waiting until 2025, gives us an excellent opportunity to build a baseline and be a step ahead when we get to Daytona next February.”

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LaJoie moves to Rick Ware’s organization after being informed in July he’d be released from Spire Motorsports after this season. He has driven the No. 7 car since the 2021 season.

Haley’s return to Spire Motorsports reunites him with the team where he won the 2019 weather-shortened summer Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway in a part-time role. He competed with the team through the 2021 season.

In his first season with Ware, Haley was initially signed to a multiyear deal. He joined the organization after two seasons with Kaulig Racing.

“Justin Haley is a very talented driver who has done a lot to help elevate RWR,” said Rick Ware Racing president Robby Benton. “Justin came to us over the Olympic break with a longer-term opportunity that would serve his career well. We were sympathetic to his desires, as Justin committed to RWR early last year and has since played a key role in the growth of our organization. We didn’t want to compromise his growth or our own. In our talks with Justin following the break, we agreed to release him from his contract with RWR.

“Obviously, we needed a new plan to maintain the momentum we’ve gained this year, and Corey LaJoie joining RWR allows us to keep moving forward. These seven races provide a unique and unconventional opportunity to work together now and evaluate what we may be able to accomplish together going forward. Corey wants to continue his path toward winning in the NASCAR Cup Series, and so do we. We’re like-minded in that pursuit.”

Watch Corey LaJoie’s onboard camera during big flip at Michigan in 2024

Watch Corey LaJoie’s onboard camera during his big flip at Michigan International Speedway in August 2024.

[autotag]Corey LaJoie[/autotag]’s race at Michigan International Speedway went south quickly in the Final Stage. During the NASCAR Cup Series event, LaJoie spun down the backstretch and flipped. The No. 7 car slid down the race track, hit the wall upside down, and barrel-rolled onto its four tires. Thankfully, LaJoie was able to climb out uninjured.

It was a shocking development as NASCAR worked on the NextGen car to prevent these situations after Ryan Preece at Daytona International Speedway in 2023. LaJoie’s car shouldn’t have flipped the way it did at Michigan, and NASCAR decided to take it to the R&D Center this week. In fact, there is footage from LaJoie’s onboard camera during the wreck.

Below, you can watch LaJoie’s onboard camera during his big flip at Michigan on Monday afternoon!

NASCAR will look into why this happened and determine how to prevent it. Thankfully, LaJoie was OK and will race at Daytona this weekend, which features an enhanced risk of big wrecks.

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Corey LaJoie talks about leaving Spire Motorsports after 2024 season

Corey LaJoie talks about leaving Spire Motorsports after the 2024 season. Check out what LaJoie had to say about this tough situation!

[autotag]Corey LaJoie[/autotag]’s journey with [autotag]Spire Motorsports[/autotag] will come to an end after the championship race at Phoenix Raceway. During the Olympic break, Spire Motorsports revealed that LaJoie will not return to the No. 7 Cup car in 2025. Throughout the 2024 NASCAR season, LaJoie has struggled as he sits behind teammate Carson Hocevar in the point standings.

LaJoie discussed leaving Spire Motorsports on his podcast, Stacking Pennies with Corey LaJoie, and admitted that some of his mistakes didn’t allow the team to maximize its performance. The driver of the No. 7 car wishes he could have seen it through with Spire Motorsports.

“I do hate that we weren’t able to see it through; we weren’t able to kind of adjust the No. 7 team and kind of turn the right knobs to get performance where we needed it,” LaJoie said. “Also, I made too many mistakes behind the wheel this year. There were several that took us out of contention for some good results.”

“It’s onward and upward. I don’t know what the next step is. It’s been a unique situation with all the variables that are in play, but nonetheless, I am at peace with it. I’m excited about what the next chapter holds, and I’m pretty motivated to still be the first one that puts a win banner on the wall at [Spire Motorsports] and a trophy in the trophy case on the [NASCAR Cup Series] side there and continue to finish this thing strong the last 14 races.”

LaJoie’s future is unknown, but he still has 14 races left with the No. 7 team at Spire Motorsports. There will be plenty of talk about whether LaJoie should move down to the lower ranks of NASCAR, and while it is important, he must finish the 2024 season strong. It’s disappointing for LaJoie, but there’s still time to maximize the No. 7 team.

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Corey LaJoie linked to two NASCAR Cup Series organizations for 2025

Corey LaJoie has been linked to two NASCAR Cup Series organizations for 2025. Which NASCAR teams could sign LaJoie for the 2025 season?

[autotag]Corey LaJoie[/autotag] is looking for a new home as teams prepare their driver lineups for the 2025 NASCAR season. Spire Motorsports previously announced that LaJoie won’t return to the No. 7 Cup car in 2025 despite having a contract for next season. So, which NASAR teams could sign the 32-year-old driver? Currently, there hasn’t been a lot of movement, but two teams have been mentioned.

FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass mentioned Kaulig Racing and Rick Ware Racing when discussing teams that could consider signing LaJoie. Both NASCAR Cup Series organizations have two charters with one full-time driver, so LaJoie could slot into the other entry part-time or full-time. This would be smart if he wants to remain in the Cup Series.

If not, LaJoie could aim for competitive equipment in the NASCAR Xfinity or Truck Series, but there is risk. It is tough to come back when a full-time driver in the Cup Series moves down. Cole Custer and John Hunter Nemechek accomplished the feat, but it’s not an exact science. LaJoie could have plenty of options, but it may not all be in the Cup Series.

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Corey LaJoie won’t return to No. 7 Cup car for Spire Motorsports in 2025

Corey LaJoie won’t return to the No. 7 Cup car for Spire Motorsports during the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.

[autotag]Corey LaJoie[/autotag]’s partnership with [autotag]Spire Motorsports[/autotag] will be coming to an end after the 2024 NASCAR season. According to The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi, LaJoie will not return to the No. 7 Cup car for Spire Motorsports in 2025. The 32-year-old driver joined Spire Motorsports in 2021 and has four top-5 finishes and six top-10 finishes since then.

LaJoie has struggled in 2024, as he sits 28th in the point standings. Carson Hocevar, LaJoie’s teammate, is 24th in the point standings and sits 59 points above him as a rookie driver. It was previously announced that Rodney Childers would be LaJoie’s crew chief for the 2025 NASCAR season, but the team will now look for a new driver.

Spire Motorsports has several options available, such as Rajah Caruth and Chase Purdy, in the NASCAR Truck Series, but LaJoie’s future is more uncertain. It would be better for LaJoie to move to a different series and run competitively. LaJoie hasn’t won in the top 3 levels of NASCAR, and competitive equipment would be a good option in the lower series.

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Spire splitting with LaJoie at season’s end

Corey LaJoie will not drive the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series next season. LaJoie was informed by the team on Wednesday. An eight-year veteran of the Cup Series, LaJoie has driven for Spire Motorsports since 2021. He …

Corey LaJoie will not drive the No. 7 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series next season.

LaJoie was informed by the team on Wednesday.

An eight-year veteran of the Cup Series, LaJoie has driven for Spire Motorsports since 2021. He signed a two-year contract extension last season.

“I won’t be driving the 7 car next year,” LaJoie said. “I take a lot of satisfaction from having an integral part of building Spire into a respectable team on the grid, but unfortunately the future won’t involve me. We will finish the remainder of 2024 strong, continuing to deliver for my partners, my guys who work hard to build good cars, family, fans and friends who have supported me since day one in the Cup Series. This chapter ends after Phoenix and I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store for my family next.”

LaJoie has six top-10 finishes and four top-five finishes in the No. 7 Chevrolet. He finished a career-best 25th in the championship standings last season.

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Spire Motorsports announced July 9 the hiring of Rodney Childers for next season. Childers will lead the No. 7 team. When that news was announced, it indicated that LaJoie would be the car’s driver.

It is not known who will replace LaJoie next season.

“Corey LaJoie has been a cornerstone of Spire Motorsports since 2021 and it would be impossible to overstate what he’s meant to this organization and how much I’ve agonized over this decision,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “Corey put his heart and soul into this team. He rolled up his sleeves and went to work before we had a race shop, a toolbox or even our own cars. Those days, looking back, were so much simpler than where we are in our journey now. Back then, we just wanted to get to the racetrack. Today, we’re consumed with consistently battling for top-10 finishes and contending for wins in the near future.

“In racing, there are always variables but one thing we all know, is this is a performance-based business, and it just hasn’t been there for several reasons. All those reasons are factored in when it comes to making a decision of this magnitude. With Ryan (Sparks) moving upstairs, and Rodney (Childers) coming in next season, the best thing for Spire Motorsports is a clean slate for the No. 7 car in 2025. Corey deserves a fresh look from another organization too, and we’ll do everything we can to help him get another opportunity in the Cup garage. I believe in Corey and his ability to be successful in this sport and look forward to him using this as motivation to prove all his doubters wrong.”

Spire Motorsports will field three full-time entries in 2025. Carson Hocevar drives the No. 77 Chevrolet and Michael McDowell will join the organization to drive the No. 71 Chevrolet.

This story has been updated to include the statement from Spire.

Busch calls LaJoie a ‘liar’ and asserts ‘payback’s coming’

Kyle Busch appeared live on the Pat McAfee Show Friday from Indianapolis and pledged “payback’s coming” to Corey LaJoie after their incident last weekend. Busch went in depth about the incident from Pocono Raceway where LaJoie hit his No. 8 …

Kyle Busch appeared live on the Pat McAfee Show Friday from Indianapolis and pledged “payback’s coming” to Corey LaJoie after their incident last weekend.

Busch went in depth about the incident from Pocono Raceway where LaJoie hit his No. 8 Chevrolet in the left rear going into Turn 1. The contact spun the Richard Childress Racing driver with 40 laps to go. The field was fanning out on a restart where Busch was the lowest driver to the left on the racetrack.

As he explained, Busch blocked LaJoie. The contact came when LaJoie hit Busch in the left rear as he moved back toward the right to make the arch into the corner.

“Instead of just blending in behind me and making sure that he doesn’t crash the whole field, he clips me,” Busch said. “That’s like stupid. What are we doing? We’re going 190 miles an hour, and we’re going to wreck each other?”

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Busch didn’t have much to say in the crash’s immediate aftermath. Once cleared from the infield care center, Busch told reporters it didn’t matter what he thought when asked if LaJoie had been too aggressive. But he did acknowledge trying to block LaJoie’s run and that “some don’t lift.”

“Nah,” Busch said at Pocono about needing to have a conversation with LaJoie.

“He texted me and then he called me,” Busch told McAfee. “I didn’t even reach back out because he changed his story four times, so I’m like, ‘You’re just a liar. You wrecked me.’ I get it. It’s fine. Whatever. Payback’s coming.”

In talking to NASCAR.com after the race, LaJoie said a driver has to take momentum when they have it on a restart. LaJoie felt Busch blocked him twice, and he had a run after getting a shove from AJ Allmendinger.

“I was anticipating our bumpers lining up and then pushing him forward and him taking the lane,” LaJoie said. “But he blocked again when I had more position on him and [I] spun him out. … You have to be super-aggressive on restarts and sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug.”

LaJoie said he had no apology when asked what he would say to Busch. The Spire Motorsports driver felt it would be the same if the shoe were on the other foot.

But when recording his podcast, Stacking Pennies, the day after the race, LaJoie admitted he felt differently after reviewing the incident. In watching footage and in-car replays, LaJoie acknowledged he had to get back in line to make the corner. Additionally, LaJoie felt Busch slowed in front of him, leading to the contact, because he hit the rev limiter.

“The amount of time [Busch] was in the chip there was like 50 yards,” LaJoie said. “So, when he throws the initial block, I still had some forward momentum in relation to him. But then it evened out, and I was planning on trying to blend back behind him, but at the same time, I was committed to… get behind him is when he was in the chip. The amount he was in the chip, I didn’t anticipate his car losing that momentum relative to mine. I spun him (and) took out several good cars behind me, which I do feel bad about on Monday.”

Busch has heard everything LaJoie has said about the incident. The two-time series champion felt LaJoie “tried to blame me twice” before changing his story.

“Anyways,” Busch said as the conversation shifted to another topic. “I need to stop giving fame to those who don’t deserve it.”

 

NASCAR won’t penalize Corey LaJoie for wrecking Kyle Busch at Pocono

NASCAR won’t penalize Corey LaJoie for wrecking Kyle Busch at Pocono Raceway in 2024. What will NASCAR do with LaJoie instead?

[autotag]Corey LaJoie[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyle Busch[/autotag] were at the center of NASCAR’s biggest discussion during the race weekend at Pocono Raceway. In the Final Stage of the NASCAR Cup Series event, Busch threw a block on LaJoie, who then dumped the No. 8 car a few seconds later. The action resulted in several drivers being wrecked; however, will NASCAR penalize LaJoie?

According to NASCAR Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer, LaJoie will not be penalized for wrecking Busch at Pocono on Sunday afternoon. However, NASCAR plans to have a conversation with LaJoie to “make sure he’s in a good place.” At the Chicago Street Course, Bubba Wallace was fined $50,000 for hitting Alex Bowman with the window net down into the wall after the checkered flag.

NASCAR views this situation differently, as the window net was down and took place during green-flag conditions. However, there is an argument that says NASCAR should penalize LaJoie, as it put several drivers in harm’s way and ended their races. Instead, LaJoie will get away with his actions and have a discussion with the racing series at some point before Indianapolis.

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Corey LaJoie addresses big wreck with Kyle Busch at Pocono in 2024

Corey LaJoie addresses his big wreck with Kyle Busch at Pocono Raceway in 2024. What did LaJoie say about his incident with Busch?

[autotag]Corey LaJoie[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyle Busch[/autotag] had a run-in during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway that caused the biggest wreck of the day. On a restart in the Final Stage, LaJoie got a run on Busch and peaked to his inside. The driver of the No. 8 car threw a block and continued forward before the No. 7 car dumped him. It caused a big wreck that ended Busch’s day.

Following the event, LaJoie spoke to NASCAR.com about the incident and was asked if he would have reacted differently. The Spire Motorsports driver also addressed whether it was an intentional wreck or not.

“No, you’ve got to take the run,” LaJoie said. “You know, I don’t want to…I’m not the guy that wants to wreck anybody, but I think if [Kyle Busch] blocks only once, then we both go around the corner and live to fight another day. But that second block that he thought he had it covered and he didn’t was what did him in and did a couple other guys in. But man, it is really hard. It is so freakin’ hard to run 19th. I mean, it’s all I got, tongue hanging out, so you have to be perfect.”

“I think Kyle and I have been racing around each other long enough, we’re not going to smash into each other on purpose. We both are guys that feel like we belong, certainly him, but I mean, I’m not going to say sorry. I’m not sorry about it, because that was the thing. If the shoe was on the other foot, the exact same thing would’ve happened, and I think he would probably say that.”

Even though he said the wreck wasn’t intentional, LaJoie still could face a penalty from NASCAR on Tuesday or Wednesday. It shouldn’t be out of the question to see something happen to the No. 7 team. However, it won’t take back Busch’s run at Pocono after a 32nd-place finish. Sure, Busch threw the block, but LaJoie wrecked several innocent drivers for no reason.

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LaJoie has no regrets after contact with Busch

Corey LaJoie said he would not have done anything differently on the restart where he spun Kyle Busch going into Turn 1 at Pocono Raceway. “You’ve got to take the run,” LaJoie told NASCAR.com. “I’m not the guy that wants to wreck anybody but I think …

Corey LaJoie said he would not have done anything differently on the restart where he spun Kyle Busch going into Turn 1 at Pocono Raceway.

“You’ve got to take the run,” LaJoie told NASCAR.com. “I’m not the guy that wants to wreck anybody but I think if Kyle blocks only once, then we both go around the corner and live to fight another day. But that second block that he thought he had covered and he didn’t, was what did him and did a couple of other guys in.”

LaJoie spun Busch following contact with the left rear of the No. 8 Chevrolet with 40 laps to go. The two were lined up mid-pack on the restart and were the furthest to the left on the track as the field fanned out charging toward Turn 1.

Busch blocked LaJoie to the left down the straightaway. There was no contact on the initial block, but LaJoie then hit Busch in the left rear, which sent him down onto the apron before his car shot back up the racetrack in the corner and collected Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Preece, Harrison Burton and AJ Allmendinger.

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“Restarts are so crazy there,” LaJoie said. “If you have any momentum, you have to take it and go to the bottom to stake your ground. I got a big push from [Allmendinger] and it was like four wide, and I went to the left rear of [Busch], and he blocked it once and I stayed straight. I was anticipating our bumpers lining up and then pushing him forward and him taking a lane. But he blocked again when I had more position on him, and [I] spun him out.

“Hate it; took out him and some other guys, but that’s just what you have to do. You have to take momentum when you have it because if you don’t, the guy behind you is going to put you in a worse spot than you’re going to put the guy in front of you. That’s just how the racing is. You have to be super aggressive on restarts and sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bug.”

Busch didn’t have much to say about the crash. The two-time series champion told reporters it “doesn’t matter” what he thought when asked if LaJoie had been too aggressive.

“Of course you have mirrors and cameras and everything else, so you try to get in front of the run that’s coming,” Busch said. “I was trying to get in front of that run and sometimes some don’t lift. Kamikaze.”

The incident resulted in Busch’s fifth DNF of the season. LaJoie finished 19th.

“I think Kyle and I have been racing around each other long enough, we’re not going to be smashing into each other on purpose,” LaJoie said. “We both are guys that feel like we belong – certainly him – but I’m not going to say sorry. I’m not sorry about it because that was the thing. And if the shoe was on the other foot, the exact same thing would have happened, and I think he would probably say that.”