2 days ago
Corey LaJoie ready to 'have a little fun' with Spire's Truck team
Very few drivers find themselves in a position to get a new ride with only eight races left in a season. Insert Corey Lajoie, who will take over the driving duties in the No. 77 Craftsman Truck Series entry for Spire Motorsports for the rest of 2025 after it was announced that Andrés Pérez de Lara would move over to the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet for the remainder of the year.
The former driver of the No. 7 Spire Chevy in the Cup Series entered the 2025 season without a full-time seat in any of the three NASCAR national series. Still under contract with the team, LaJoie has made one appearance in the Truck Series, driving the No. 07 for Spire when the opportunity arose at Michigan and finished fifth.
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'They had a team shuffle with the 77 and it's consolidated some efforts and some personnel,' LaJoie told 'And maybe because they already told me that we're going to finish the year, they just plug me into it to have a little fun, try to contend for some wins. And it's been fun working with Chad Walter in that No. 77 group.
'I think it really is, truly, they're trying to get their money's worth out of me. The last couple of months, they're paying me out of the contract. So it gets me off the couch. Get me out of my, you know, blowing some leaves and raking my backyard on a Sunday afternoon or Saturdays. Nonetheless, I want to go out there and give those guys a good effort.'
LaJoie is entering the final stretch of the Truck Series with a fresh mindset, one focused on chasing checkered flags, racing on his favorite tracks, and reconnecting with familiar faces.
'There's a lot of my favorite race tracks in the Truck Series Playoffs,' LaJoie added. 'So it'll be cool to be in that garage and see some familiar faces. It's also cool to go back through the shop and see a lot of familiar faces. I've been used to being around for the last couple years, so it's nice to see that and have those conversations. But anytime you can drive, get behind the wheel or something, especially a good truck like that, I'm ready and willing to do.'
As with any situation in life, there is always another side to the coin. The host of the 'Stacking Pennies Podcast' has enjoyed the time away from the demanding grind that is the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
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When it comes to a potential return to full-time racing at any level, LaJoie is taking it one day at a time, unsure what the future holds and when or if he will want to jump back into the seat every weekend.
'It's been a nice little change of pace this year,' LaJoie said. 'You know, I think I've been pretty outspoken with my desire to drive in the Cup Series. And, you know, as hard and as mentally and physically and just overall time-consuming being a Cup driver is, it would have to be a really enticing scenario to go back and commit to that grind and that experience and that adventure, because it really is an all-consuming 24/7 profession.
'I'm not beating on anybody's door to go back to Sunday racing and or even to drive it all if it really has to be people who I want to do it with. It has to be a situation where it makes sense, and if not, then I'll just do something else. For the first time in my life, I'm not chasing the dragon because, you know, probably a little bit disgruntled with how everything's went the last 12 months anyways.
'But to be able to plug and recharge the battery and kind of take the blinders off and see the sport a bit more for what it is. See it more as a media side with the podcast and analysts on Amazon; it was a lot of fun. I'm pretty content with where I'm at now.'
