DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — One step at a time, Corey LaJoie thought he had it done.
First, he secured a ride with Rick Ware Racing to enter the “Great American Race” and partnered with Take 5 Oil Change and DuraMAX to ensure he wouldn’t have to spend his children’s college funds. Next, he raced into the field through his Duel race on Thursday night. By Sunday, he rolled off from the 12th starting position at Daytona International Speedway, poised for a strong run in the Daytona 500.
However, despite a solid overall performance, a last-lap multi-car accident crushed any hope of a top-10 finish.
Stage 1 started clean, running green for 11 laps before LaJoie brought his No. 01 Take 5 Oil Change | DuraMAX Ford Mustang Dark Horse to pit road during a lengthy red flag for rain. When the caution was lifted and the field prepared to go green, LaJoie found himself back in the 12th spot, exactly where he had started.
Undeterred, the Rick Ware Racing driver pressed forward. By Lap 32, he had taken the lead, pacing the field for three laps and showcasing the strength of his car and team.
As Stage 1 continued, the Concord, N.C. native remained competitive until Lap 57, when he lost drafting help and was shuffled back to 31st. He ultimately finished the stage in 29th but remained optimistic, telling his team, “Balance is okay. I just need a little bit more ability to close the gap.”
Stage 2 presented new challenges. LaJoie began in 24th, a precarious position when a massive wreck broke out in Turn 1 just two laps later. Navigating through the chaos unscathed, he received instructions from his team: “Take care of your stuff. We have the track position here.”
Rebounding once again, LaJoie climbed to ninth before slipping back to 22nd by the end of the stage. Feeling some frustration, he debated adjustments with his team before agreeing to a minor tweak: “Okay, do it,” he told them. During his pit stop, he received four fresh Goodyear tires, fuel, and the requested adjustment before rejoining the field in 29th for the final stage.
Determined, LaJoie worked his way forward again. By Lap 176, he led the outside lane with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. pushing him to the front. On Lap 187, he was officially scored as the leader after a multi-car crash on the backstretch, setting up a critical decision for the restart.
“They are obviously going to shove you, so we need to figure out what you want to do,” his team radioed. “Go with the bottom,” they advised.
To confirm, LaJoie asked, “Staying out?”
“Staying out for sure. You ain’t getting better track position than this.”
Despite their strategy, fate was unkind. A last-lap accident in Turn 3 ended LaJoie’s run, relegating him to a frustrating 22nd-place finish. While the result didn’t reflect his efforts, LaJoie’s resilience and ability to run at the front throughout the race underscored his potential on NASCAR’s biggest stage.
After the race, a clearly disappointed Corey LaJoie lamented, “Here, for what we are trying to do, it doesn’t matter if you don’t win. Certainly, there is a lot of money involved from potentially finishing third to 22nd or wherever we finished.
“Nonetheless, I think we had a great showing this week; making it into the Duels and bringing Take Five and Duramax to the front at Daytona with 10 laps to go was a pretty special experience. I just hate that we couldn’t finish where we should have.”
Next up for LaJoie will be the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, February 23, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Follow Grace Krenrich on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Threads @grace3140 or email at mailto:[email protected].
