Corey LaJoie shares a candid takeaway after seeing how Hendrick Motorsports operates

Former Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie hinted that he would have been more successful in NASCAR if he had run for a long time with a team like Hendrick Motorsports. His statement surfaced in the comments section of NASCAR journalist Alan Cavana’s latest tweet.

In his post, Cavana shared what Ty Gibbs and William Byron’s first three full seasons in the Cup Series look like. According to his reports, Gibbs amassed zero wins, 17 top fives, and 32 top-10s, while Byron bagged a win, nine top five,s and 31 top-10s.

LaJoie drove the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy in June 2023 and filled in for a suspended Chase Elliott at World Wide Technology Raceway, commented,

“After my 3 days seeing what HMS races with, I’m here to say ANYBODY with a long runway (50+ races) with a key partner team will inevitably have some level of success.”

LaJoie spent the 2025 season navigating between a part-time schedule with Rick Ware Racing, a reserve driver for RFK Racing, and an analyst for Prime Video. He also hosts a weekly NASCAR podcast named “Stacking Pennies” on NASCAR’s official YouTube channel.

"I like doing TV,” Corey Lajoie said in a statement (via Jayski.com). “I think I’m going to start up this carbon fiber business, and if NASCAR wants to keep doing the (Stacking Pennies) show, I’ll keep doing the show because I like doing it and having the platform to talk about life and racing.” “So, if I had a really good opportunity call, then sure, I’ll entertain the conversation, but there’s like 10 other things that I could be doing right now to start what the next chapter looks like, and I think I’m going to start focusing on that,” he added.

Corey LaJoie is the son of Randy LaJoie, a former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, and the grandson of Don LaJoie, a member of the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

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Corey LaJoie stays open for potential “Daytona 500 offers”

Corey LaJoie is currently a free agent, which means that he is not under any racing contract. However, the 34-year-old desires to compete in the 2026 Daytona 500, often called The Great American Race or the Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing by NASCAR fans.

The Daytona 500 happens to be one of NASCAR’s four crown jewel events. It has been opening the regular points season every February since 1982. The race itself was first held in 1959.

“I’ll entertain Daytona 500 offers because I think I can compete for a win in a decent car there, and made the race the hard way a couple of times,” LaJoie explained (via Motorsport.com). “So, I think I bring some value to a team, and you could also make about a year’s worth of pay in one week.“

The 58th running of the Daytona 500 is scheduled for February 15, 2026. Fans can watch the race on FOX Sports starting at 2:30 pm, or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua