For the sixth consecutive NASCAR Cup Series race weekend, Corey LaJoie is set to be a part of the action. But for the first time during that stint, he is set to do so as an actual driver.
LaJoie has made three Cup Series starts so far this season, all with Rick Ware Racing behind the wheel of the No. 01 Ford.
He raced his way into the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and contended for the win before settling for a season-best 22nd place finish. He recorded a DNF at Atlanta Motor Speedway the following weekend and then did not return until the April race at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he placed 34th.
Corey LaJoie to return to the driver's seat at Atlanta
LaJoie made his return to the Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 in late May, but in a different role. He served as an analyst for all five races on Amazon Prime Video at Charlotte, Nashville Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, and Pocono Raceway.
The timing could not have worked out better, as LaJoie is set to get back behind the wheel of the No. 01 Ford this weekend at Atlanta. Saturday night's Quaker State 400 is set to kick off NASCAR's first-ever in-season tournament, and all five races of this tournament are set to be shown live on TNT Sports.
Atlanta is arguably LaJoie's best track. He nearly won the race in July 2022 before late contact with Chase Elliott, and two of his four career top five finishes in the Cup Series have come there, including a career-high-tying fourth place effort in 2023.
LaJoie has still done a little bit of driving since his most recent Cup start, as he made his first Truck Series start in more than a year when he drove for Spire Motorsports, his former Cup team, at Michigan and finished in a career-high fifth place after leading late.
The No. 01 Ford is one of four non-chartered (open) cars on the entry list for Saturday night's 260-lap race around the four-turn, 1.54-mile (2.478-kilometer) Hampton, Georgia oval, so there is no way for LaJoie to be bumped out of the field.
The other three are the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford, which is set to be driven by David Starr, the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet, which is set to be driven by B.J. McLeod, and the No. 87 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, which is set to be driven by Connor Zilisch.
TNT Sports is set to provide live coverage of the Quaker State 400 from Atlanta Motor Speedway starting at 7:00 p.m. ET this Saturday, June 28.