NASCAR Cup Series: 3 possible landing spots for Corey LaJoie in 2021

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 21: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

Hendrick Motorsports

With seven-time NASCAR Cup Series Jimmie Johnson having announced in November that the 2020 season will be his 19th and final season as a full-time driver in the sport, the #48 Chevrolet is easily one of the most coveted seats for the 2021 season (even if the number 48 changes to another number).

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Many, many drivers have been linked to this ride as potential replacement candidates for one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, and Corey LaJoie has emerged one of them.

On paper, LaJoie may not appear to be a frontrunner for this ride, especially with how many other drivers have been named and the fact that he .

But LaJoie’s definition of “on paper” is what makes him stand out.

At the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Induction Night prior to the start of the 2020 season, LaJoie wrote a letter — in cursive — to Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick expressing an interest in the vacant seat within the organization for the 2021 season.

While he understands that he may not be the frontrunner at this point, especially since Hendrick Motorsports have publicly stated that their priority right now is not naming a replacement for Johnson, he believes writing a personal letter to Hendrick could go a long way, given his experience and what he has been able to do over the course of several years with smaller teams.

Here is what he had to say about the matter last month, according to NASCAR.

"“I mean, I think you’ve kind of got to stand out. It’s hard to stand out on the race track, especially in the Cup Series, because they’re the best stock-car drivers in the world, driving the best-prepared cars by the best, most-qualified people. So it’s hard to take a 30th place car and make yourself known. So I have to do some stuff off the race track and sometimes you’ve got to think outside the box a little bit. “I have nice cursive handwriting, so I figured why don’t I just pen this guy a letter. I don’t think that I should be necessarily the leading candidate, but I would like to think I’d be on the list because just the experience and all the stuff I’ve gained by doing it the hard way. I think I can kind of fit in their mold pretty well. “I was nervous when I gave it to him, because that guy could change my life and my family’s life forever. That’s why I spent extra time. I started writing it around Christmas and finally got it nailed down. I had a couple of rough drafts that my wife scratched up for me. It reminded me how English was my least favorite subject in school.”"

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For which team will Corey LaJoie end up competing in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season? Will he stay at Go Fas Racing? Will he effectively be promoted to Stewart-Haas Racing, or will he leave the Ford organization entirely and end up with Hendrick Motorsports? Could he land elsewhere? Silly Season is just getting started.

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