NASCAR: Top 5 remaining free agents for 2021
By Asher Fair
Top 5 remaining free agents: No. 3 – Corey LaJoie
Corey LaJoie believes in his abilities behind the wheel of a race car, so much so that he made the decision to not return to Go Fas Racing for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season in the hopes of landing a better ride with a more competitive team.
The 28-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina native has been competing in the Cup Series since 2014, but he hasn’t had the break he needs to showcase them behind the wheel for a competitive team up to this point, having driven for teams such as Randy Humphrey Racing, BK Racing and TriStar Motorsports before landing his first full-time ride with Go Fas Racing last year.
Considered by many to be the most untapped potential in the Cup Series, he is not in a bad position to try to advance his career, even having surrendered his ride.
He entered last year with just two top 23 finishes to his name in 57 starts. But he recorded four top 12 finishes for the team in 2019 before they formed their technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing, including two top seven results, and he recorded six top 19 finishes this year at six different race tracks.
While his handwritten cursive letter to Rick Hendrick did not land him a ride as Jimmie Johnson’s replacement and the fact that he was already somewhat in connection to the Stewart-Haas Racing organization at Go Fas Racing did not land him a ride as Clint Bowyer’s replacement, where else could he go?