Former NASCAR star looking for a Daytona 500 ride after being axed from the Cup Series

Former NASCAR driver Corey LaJoie has made it clear that if he returns to racing, it would only be for the Daytona 500. Calling the Great American Race his sole focus, he dismissed any offers to compete in the Craftsman Truck Series.

LaJoie last competed full-time in the Cup Series with Spire Motorsports in 2024. Midway through that season, he was swapped to Rick Ware Racing for Justin Haley.

However, he made select starts with RWR this year, including the Daytona 500, where he led 10 laps before finishing 22nd. Currently running part-time in the Truck Series, he has made it clear that a return to the third-tier series isn’t on his cards.

In an episode of his Stacking Pennies podcast, the 33-year-old said (via Joseph Sringley on X):

“I’ll entertain Daytona 500 offers because I think I can compete for a win in a decent car there, and [I] made the race the hard way a couple of times.” “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. So, I’ll look at that, but yeah, like Truck Series offers, I’m not entertaining.”

Corey LaJoie still has four races remaining on his 2025 NASCAR schedule, all in the Truck Series. The North Carolina native will pilot the #77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet at the Charlotte Roval, Talladega, Martinsville, and Phoenix.

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“You deal with all the bulls**t”: Corey LaJoie on driving in NASCAR Truck Series

In the same podcast episode, Corey LaJoie admitted that driving in the NASCAR Truck Series is frustrating. He pointed out that restrictions from General Motors, the parent company of Chevrolet, on how his truck can be built have taken the fun out of the experience.

LaJoie, the son of two-time Busch Series (now Xfinity Series) champion Randy LaJoie, said:

“Trucks aren’t particularly fun to drive, and also like smashing my head up against the wall, metaphorically. Like, you’re fighting a battle that is just; if you’re not doing it yourself, you deal with all the bulls**t. We can’t do a new body build. Well, we can’t build it this way because GM this, and simulation that.”

Corey LaJoie drives the #77 Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports - Source: Getty

If teams, particularly those in the Cup Series, don’t offer him a seat, Corey LaJoie would instead focus on media work. In addition to his Stacking Pennies podcast, he also took on a broadcasting role with Prime Video earlier this year, working alongside notable NASCAR personalities, including Dale Earnhardt Jr.

LaJoie served as an analyst for the media company for five Cup Series races, including the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which received positive feedback. The other races were Nashville, Michigan, Mexico City, and Pocono.

The now part-time Truck Series driver also shared that launching a carbon fiber business is part of his plan if he doesn’t return to the track on his own terms. The venture would focus on producing lightweight, rigid bodywork commonly used in racecars and street-legal supercars.

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Edited by Zarec Sanchez