BRISTOL, Tenn.: Robby Benton used to change tires for Corey LaJoie.
Now, he’s kicking the tires over the last seven races to determine if the 33-year-old racer will fit suitably into the Rick Ware Racing stable beyond 2024.
On Friday, Spire Motorsports and RWR jointly announced a driver swap between the organizations with Justin Haley taking over the No. 7 Chevrolet beginning next weekend at Kansas Speedway and LaJoie jumping into the No. 51 Ford for the remainder of the 2024 season.
“Justin came to us over the Olympic break with a longer-term opportunity that would serve his career well,” said Benton, RWR president. “We were sympathetic to his desires, as Justin committed to RWR early last year and has since played a key role in the growth of our organization.
“We didn’t want to compromise his growth or our own. In our talks with Justin following the break, we agreed to release him from his contract with RWR.”
The exchange was prompted by Benton, RWR president. Jeff Dickerson, co-owner of Spire, said Benton believes he could extract more out of the 33-year-old racer, who has yet to win on any of NASCAR’s top three tours after eight full seasons on the Cup tour.
Spire is committed to Haley in 2025. He drove 35 races for the organization from 2019 to 2021. They won together at Daytona in his third start with the team. Haley was rumored as a potential candidate at Hendrick Motorsports for next season despite there being “no room at the inn,” as team owner Rick Hendrick likes to say. Still, Haley’s return to Spire has been circulating for some time and intensified after it was announced on July 25 that LaJoie was leaving the No. 7 ride.
Benton, however, described RWR’s relationship with LaJoie as “unscripted at this point.” He felt like RWR needed a new plan to maintain the momentum gained by Haley elevating morale around the organization.
“This came together over the last 36 hours,” Benton said. “We know we need to get started next week. We felt it was prudent to sit in front of you and tell you what it is and what it isn’t. It’s unique. It’s unconventional—driver swaps, player trades—they’re very different from what we do.
“These seven races provide an opportunity to work together now and evaluate what we may be able to accomplish together going forward. Corey wants to continue his path toward winning in the NASCAR Cup Series, and so do we. We’re like-minded in that pursuit.”
For LaJoie, who appeared to be the odd man out in this season’s musical Cup chairs before the announcement, it’s an opportunity to remain in NASCAR’s top division. While he had opportunities to drive for competitive Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series teams, LaJoie was content to drive a 28th-place car rather than transfer to a lower series where he has the potential win.
“For me and my family, this is the best thing for my career,” LaJoie said. “Now, it’s a fresh start with fresh faces and a new process to jump into. You feel as though all the work you do is going to progress to another level.
“I’m excited about that. I had other opportunities with a couple of people in different Xfinity and trucks but I told Robby a several weeks ago, “Man, all my chips are pushed on the table to drive the 51 ’cause my guiding light my entire racing career since I was eight-years-old was to be a Cup driver. It’s not to be an Xfinity driver.
“It’s not to be a truck driver. It’s to be a Cup driver at the Cup level because these guys are the very best…but taking a step back and winning some races and watching guys I know I can compete against each and every week and have fun and compete against wins on Sunday, didn’t sit right for me.”
LaJoie said he would have waited until the end of the season for the ride to open. Still, he’s grateful to start this chapter earlier than he expected.
“I’m going to drive that thing like I stole it each and every week and try to keep the wheels in a straight direction and see where it all shakes out from there,” LaJoie said. “This week, I’m pretty pumped.”
Whether the optimism continues over the final seven weeks remains to be seen. For now, Benton has found a solution and LaJoie has been given a lifeline.
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
