Corey LaJoie Bio
Corey Daniel LaJoie, born on September 25, 1991, is an American professional stock car racing driver and analyst. He most recently competed part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the Nos. 07 and 77 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs for Spire Motorsports, and part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 01 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Rick Ware Racing. Beyond his driving duties, LaJoie has served as an analyst for NASCAR on Prime Video, expanding his footprint across the sport. He is the son of two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion Randy LaJoie, a heritage that has shaped much of his racing identity.
Early Life and Background
Corey Daniel LaJoie was born on September 25, 1991, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Growing up in the heart of NASCAR country placed him close to many of the sport’s teams and short tracks. He began his racing journey in karting events in 1996, competing on both dirt and asphalt surfaces and scoring 19 wins during those early years. By 2003, he had moved into the INEX Bandolero series, where he recorded twelve wins and captured the Summer Shootout Championship.
In 2005, LaJoie began racing Legends cars, and a year later he stepped up to the Aaron’s Pro Challenge Series, where he won 10 of 12 races. Between 2007 and 2009, he competed in the UARA-Stars Late Model Touring Series, posting one win and ten top-ten finishes across seventeen starts. Those formative years laid the groundwork for a quick rise through the stock car ladder.
Path to NASCAR
LaJoie made his debut in the NASCAR Camping World East Series in 2009 at Thompson Speedway. He remained in that developmental series through the 2012 season, earning his first East Series victory at Bowman Gray Stadium in June 2012 and finishing the year second in points. His progress earned him a place in the 2012 NASCAR Next class, a recognition reserved for the sport’s most promising rising talents.
In 2013, LaJoie began running a limited schedule that included selected NASCAR Nationwide Series races for Tommy Baldwin Racing. That June, he signed with Richard Petty Motorsports as a development driver. He made his Nationwide Series debut in November 2013 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the No. 9 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports, finishing 34th after an on-track incident. The deal positioned him to chase national-series opportunities in the seasons ahead.
Corey LaJoie Career
Early Career (2009–2013)
LaJoie’s early national career centered on the NASCAR Camping World East Series, where he posted six wins and 22 top-ten finishes. He added ARCA Menards Series East experience and began running selected ARCA Racing Series events in the second half of 2013, winning his first start of that year at Chicagoland Speedway and then scoring again at Pocono Raceway. Those ARCA results demonstrated his ability to win at the regional level.
He finished his ARCA Menards Series career with three wins, four top-ten finishes, and one pole across 14 starts, with a best points finish of 22nd in 2013. The combination of East Series success and ARCA wins cemented his reputation as a driver ready for higher-profile opportunities.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2013–2017)
LaJoie made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in November 2013 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In June 2014, he joined Biagi-DenBeste Racing for five Truck and Xfinity events, but struggled with consistency. After stepping away briefly, he returned in 2016 with JGL Racing, driving the No. 24 Toyota Camry at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the Xfinity Series.
Across his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity) career, LaJoie posted two top-ten finishes with no wins, recording a best points finish of 31st in 2016. His first O’Reilly Series start came at the 2013 Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead, and his last came at the 2017 Ford EcoBoost 300 at the same track, wrapping up a developmental stretch that bridged his path to full-time Cup competition.
NASCAR Cup Series Career (2014–Present)
LaJoie made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the 2014 Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, driving for Randy Humphrey Racing. He returned to Cup in 2017 with BK Racing in the No. 83 Toyota, famously spinning Reed Sorenson in the Can-Am Duels to lock himself into the Daytona 500. After a part-time stint with TriStar Motorsports in 2018 that ended when the team shut down, he joined Go Fas Racing’s No. 32 Ford in 2019, finishing 18th in the Daytona 500 and posting two top-ten results during the year.
In 2020, LaJoie finished eighth in the Daytona 500 after an airborne incident involving Ryan Newman at the finish line, and he later announced his departure from Go Fas. He signed a multi-year deal with Spire Motorsports beginning in 2021, leading a career-best 19 laps at Atlanta in 2022 before being passed by Chase Elliott with two laps remaining. In 2023, he earned a substitute stint in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 at Gateway and posted a career-best 25th-place points finish without a single DNF. He parted ways with Spire at the end of 2024 and later joined Rick Ware Racing’s No. 01 for a part-time Cup schedule beginning with the 2025 Daytona 500.
Rick Ware Racing Era (2024–Present)
On September 20, 2024, it was announced that LaJoie would move to the Rick Ware Racing No. 51, with Justin Haley replacing him in the No. 7 at Spire for the remainder of that season starting at Kansas. On January 27, 2025, RWR confirmed LaJoie would run a part-time Cup schedule in the No. 01 (formerly No. 15), beginning with the 2025 Daytona 500. He raced his way into the 500 with a sixth-place run in Duel 2, then led laps late before being collected in a last-lap crash sparked by Cole Custer’s block.
His most recent Cup Series start was the 2025 Quaker State 400 at Atlanta, and he finished 52nd in the 2025 Cup Series standings. LaJoie also returned to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2025 with Spire Motorsports, first driving the No. 07 and later the No. 77, posting top-five finishes at Michigan and Richmond. In the Truck Series, he has also driven the No. 25 and No. 10 for Kaulig Racing, finishing 24th in the 2025 Truck Series standings.
Driving Style and Strengths
LaJoie has built much of his Cup reputation on superspeedway and drafting-track strength, with multiple top-ten runs at Daytona and Talladega, including a sixth at Daytona’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 in 2019 and a seventh at Talladega’s 1000Bulbs.com 500 that same year. He pairs that plate-track aggression with consistent execution on intermediate ovals, posting his first non-drafting top-ten at Darlington in 2024. His career-best 19 laps led at Atlanta highlighted his race craft and ability to manage long runs at the front.
Notable Races and Milestones
LaJoie’s signature Cup moments include the controversial 2017 Daytona 500 Duel spin that locked him into the Great American Race, his Atlanta near-miss in 2022, a substitute drive in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 at Gateway in 2023, and a wild Talladega finish in 2024 that saw his car cross the line on its side. He also became the first Cup Series driver to flip twice in one season since Rusty Wallace in 1993, an incident that prompted NASCAR to introduce a new side air deflector for the upcoming Coke Zero Sugar 400.
Corey LaJoie Career Wins
LaJoie’s verified victories span the regional and national ladder, including six wins in the ARCA Menards Series East and three in the ARCA Menards Series. He captured his first East Series win at the 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 at Bowman Gray Stadium and added his last East win at the 2016 United Site Services 70 at New Hampshire. In ARCA, he opened the 2013 season with a win in the Ansell ActivArmr 150 at Chicagoland and closed it with the ZLOOP 150 at Kentucky.
ARCA Menards Series Highlights
Across his ARCA Menards Series career, LaJoie recorded three wins, four top-ten finishes, and one pole. His best championship finish was 22nd in 2013, and his ARCA run included starts at Rockingham, Chicagoland, Pocono, Kentucky, and Watkins Glen, the site of his most recent ARCA start in the 2023 General Tire 100 at The Glen.
Other Wins and Performances
LaJoie scored six wins in the ARCA Menards Series East, finishing second in points in 2012 behind a strong summer stretch that included his Bowman Gray breakthrough. His earlier karting and Late Model results, including the Summer Shootout Championship in the Bandolero series, provided the foundation for his move into NASCAR’s national divisions.
Corey LaJoie Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
LaJoie is the son of Randy LaJoie, a two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion who claimed the title in 1996 and 1997. Growing up around his father’s successful Busch Series career gave Corey an inside look at the work ethic and preparation required to compete at NASCAR’s top levels. That lineage continues to shape his identity as a driver carrying on a respected racing family name.
Personal Life
LaJoie is married to Kelly LaJoie, and the couple has three sons: Levi Ronnie, Jenson Daniel, and Pierce Jackson (PJ) LaJoie. He is a practicing Christian and has built a notable media presence, co-hosting Motor Racing Network’s Sunday Money podcast with Lauren Fox, a former high school classmate, before launching his own Stacking Pennies podcast on NASCAR.com in 2021. In 2025, he began his Stacking Pennies Performance brand alongside his analyst role for NASCAR on Prime Video.
2025 Season Performance
LaJoie’s 2025 campaign was split across the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. With Rick Ware Racing in the No. 01 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, he qualified for the Daytona 500 through his Duel performance and led laps late before being eliminated in a last-lap crash, ultimately finishing the year 52nd in Cup points. He also made his Truck Series return with Spire Motorsports, driving the Nos. 07 and 07/77 entries, with top-five finishes at Michigan and Richmond highlighting the partial schedule.
Later in the year, LaJoie moved into the Kaulig Racing No. 10 Ram 1500 in the Truck Series after Daniel Dye’s suspension and release, expanding his seat time across the season. He balanced those driving duties with a new analyst role on Prime Video’s NASCAR coverage alongside Danielle Trotta and the launch of his Stacking Pennies Performance brand.
Looking ahead, LaJoie is scheduled to attempt to qualify for the 2026 Daytona 500 in the No. 99 for RFK Racing, a number not used by the team since 2016. He also replaced the injured Brad Keselowski in the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, keeping him in the spotlight as both a driver and a broadcaster. With Cup and Truck seats still possible, his 2026 outlook blends part-time racing with continued growth in the NASCAR media space.
