NASCAR: Corey LaJoie tipped to drive for Spire Motorsports in 2021
By Asher Fair
Corey LaJoie has been tipped to drive for Spire Motorsports in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season following a stint with Go Fas Racing.
Corey LaJoie made the decision earlier this year that he would not be continuing on with Go Fas Racing beyond the conclusion of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, his second season behind the wheel of the #32 Ford.
LaJoie’s decision was similar to the one made by Matt DiBenedetto toward the end of the 2018 season, his second season with Archie St. Hilaire’s team.
He effectively gambled on himself by giving up his ride in an attempt to land with a more competitive team. While he has been competing in the Cup Series since 2014, he has never had a competitive ride, having competed for teams such as Randy Humphrey Racing, BK Racing and TriStar Motorsports before arriving at Go Fas Racing.
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His 29th place finish in the 2019 championship standings is the best of his career, and his sixth place finish at Daytona International Speedway that season is his career-high race result. His seven top 20 finishes in 2019 are also a career-high.
There were rumors that LaJoie had been considered by Hendrick Motorsports to replace Jimmie Johnson after penning team owner Rick Hendrick a letter prior to the start of the 2020 season, and there had been other talks of him potentially moving to Stewart-Haas Racing, given their technical alliance with Go Fas Racing which was formed ahead of 2020.
Neither scenario played out, and now Corey LaJoie has been tipped to land at Spire Motorsports for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.
While Spire Motorsports are one of the lesser competitive teams in the Cup Series, they have partnerships with both Hendrick Motorsports and Chip Ganassi Racing, and they have reportedly had talks about buying parts and equipment from Rick Hendrick’s team as they continue to grow and become more competitive.
Spire Motorsports entered the Cup Series ahead of the 2019 season and ran the #77 Chevrolet on a full-time basis in both 2019 and 2020. For the 2021 season, they have multiple charters, and their goal is to make the driver of the #77 Chevrolet a full-time driver after a total of eight drivers shared the ride in 2019 and nine drivers shared it in 2020.
Of course, nobody can forget Justin Haley’s upset victory for the team at Daytona International Speedway in July of 2019.
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The 2021 season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, February 14 at Daytona International Speedway with the 63rd annual Daytona 500, a race in which LaJoie finished in a career-best eighth place in 2020.