On Thursday, Corey LaJoie announced via a statement to The Athletic that he would not be returning to Spire Motorsports. According to the report, Spire Motorsports informed LaJoie of their decision to release him a year early on Wednesday. LaJoie, who joined Spire Motorsports before the 2021 season, signed a two-year extension last year. At the time, LaJoie was a coveted free agent. Multiple teams were after his services, especially considering his impressive start to 2022. Instead, LaJoie reupped with Spire Motorsports in what seemed to be an indication of a long-term arrangement between the two. Slightly more than a year after that extension, LaJoie has been fired from the team. What went wrong?
At the time of the extension, Corey LaJoie was turning heads. Through Atlanta, LaJoie was averaging a Top-20 finish and threatening for Top-10s on regular basis. Especially considering how poorly the 77 car ran, LaJoie’s ascent to a weekly Top-20 demonstrated his ability to help a team improve. Off the early success of LaJoie, Spire Motorsports started receiving a more positive outlook from the fans. Unfortunately for LaJoie, the post-extension performance started to wane. After the signing, LaJoie would struggle to maintain his first half results. His average finish increased by 2.3 positions while his Top-20 percentage fell from nearly 60% to 41%. That mediocrity bled into this season.
Corey LaJoie Fails to Meet Expectations
Despite the second half slump, 2024 would mark the first season that Corey LaJoie had serious expectations to perform. Overall, 2023 was a successful season. LaJoie was the only driver to not have a DNF and he finished 25th in points. Off of that career season, LaJoie and the 7 team were expected to make the next step forward. While it was not playoffs or bust, the 7 team should be relevant to the playoff question. If you are looking for a good comparison, LaJoie should be having a similar season to Todd Gilliland.
However, LaJoie has failed to meet those expectations. Through the first 22 races, LaJoie has only a single Top-10 with 7 Top-20s. 3 of those quality finishes were on superspeedways including the lone Top-10 at Daytona. Although LaJoie is avoiding the DNFs, the 7 car is constantly at the center of incidents. Most notably, wrecking Kyle Busch at Pocono and Jimmie Johnson at Kansas. From last year’s underdog darling, this season has seen LaJoie viewed more as a menace.
With the investments that Spire Motorsports are making to their Cup program, Corey LaJoie needed to keep pace with the performance. Since the extension, Spire bought a third charter, acquired Kyle Busch Motorsports, signed veteran Michael McDowell, and brought in Rodney Childers for the 7 team. In the initial announcement of Childers, LaJoie was mentioned specifically. Now, he will be gone with a new driver receiving Childers’ mastery on the pit box.
Schooled by Carson Hocevar
It is one thing to be having a down season. With a growing team, that can easily happen. Whatever clicked last season might not be working the same this year. Is that usually enough to get fired after signing an extension? In NASCAR, nothing is really surprising but the usual answer would be no. However, when a rookie driver is classing you in the same equipment, then that is where the issue lies.
There were warning signs of this situation last year at Gateway. The only other time Corey LaJoie had some level of expectations on him was filling in for Chase Elliott in the 9. There was palpable excitement for LaJoie as he stepped into top tier equipment for the first time in his career. Then he laid an egg of a race weekend. Meanwhile, Carson Hocevar jumped into the 7 and impressed everyone. Before a brake rotor failure, Hocevar outdrove LaJoie in his own car.
Fast forward to this season, Carson Hocevar has consistently been racking up Top-20 finishes. Through 22 races, Hocevar has 13 Top-20s, including 7 in the past 8 races. If not for a points penalty due to his Nashville incident, Hocevar would be leading the Rookie of the Year standings. As the only other Spire driver on the team, Hocevar is proving to be the driver to build around rather than LaJoie.
When comparing LaJoie’s and Hocevar’s seasons directly, it shines a light as to why Spire Motorsports would be willing to let LaJoie go. Hocevar has a 3.3 better average finish along with 3 more lead laps finishes and 84 more points scored. Not only is LaJoie having a down season, but a rookie driver is outclassing him. Additionally, Hocevar’s rookie season is shaping up to best LaJoie’s career year.
Corey LaJoie’s Future
Unlike last year, Corey LaJoie’s silly season will not be as favorable for the Stacking Pennies podcast host. Most of the high profile spots are already filled, mostly with the former Stewart-Haas Racing drivers. If LaJoie was to remain in the Cup Series, his options are limited to Rick Ware Racing and Kaulig Racing. Although Front Row Motorsports still has an open seat, their Noah Gragson press conference hinted at the third driver already being signed/agreed to terms with. LaJoie would not have been in that discussion at the time since he was still signed through next season.
The question for LaJoie is the funding that he can bring with him to a new team. If he remains in the Chevy camp with Kaulig, he will seemingly need to bring the financials to help support the team. Meanwhile, Rick Ware Racing might be the better fit if LaJoie does not have a great source of financial backing. Would either party be interested in each other though? LaJoie is clearly on the decline in terms of favorability. Rick Ware Racing has seen solid improvements with Justin Haley. It would be a bit surprising to see them take LaJoie after he shrank behind a young driver at Spire Motorsports.
If not Cup, then the potential landing spots for LaJoie in the lower series are endless. Although a top Xfinity ride might not be in the cards, LaJoie could find himself running for a solid Xfinity team in 2025. Xfinity and Truck silly season is always a crapshoot this early in the process. However, Sam Hunt Racing, AM Racing, or Our Motorsports could be landing spots depending on what each team decides to do moving forward.
Who Drives the 7?
Despite the disappointing season thus far, Spire Motorsports surely did not fire Corey LaJoie without an idea of who will be replacing him next year. While Spire is still growing, that 7 team should be a coveted seat. Spire Motorsports is a team on the rise with a vision and financial pathway to improve. The 7 team specifically has shown the capability to be a fringe playoff team. That will only improve with the arrival of Rodney Childers. Even with LaJoie, the thought was that Childers could elevate the team to playoff/race winning caliber. With that much investment and care, it would be surprising to hear that Spire let LaJoie go with no one penciled into that car right now.
“Realistic” Options
Based on the rumblings from reporters yesterday, the top candidates to replace Corey LaJoie seem to be from the lower ranks. Most of the high profile Cup drivers who were available have already signed. Ryan Preece remains the most notable Cup driver on the market. However, he has failed to impress in his recent seasons with Stewart-Haas Racing. Is he a possibility? Yes, but it would be hard to believe that Spire thought Preece was enough of an improvement to release LaJoie a season early.
Spire Motorsport could look internally to replace Corey LaJoie. A couple of their Truck Series drivers have impressed this season, which could line them up for a promotion. With Michael McDowell and Carson Hocevar serving as the anchors of team, bringing in Rajah Caruth or Nick Sanchez as firmly the third driver is not a terrible idea. The two could learn under Childers and McDowell. Plus, Hocevar is proving the transition from Trucks to Cup is not too much of an undertaking.
From outside the Spire umbrella, Christian Eckes and Sam Mayer would be wise choices as well. Eckes has been a standout in the Truck Series since 2022 while Mayer is seemingly the favorite Xfinity Series driver to debut next year. While Mayer is tied to Front Row, Spire could make a lofty offer to draw him away from the Ford team. Meanwhile, Eckes seems to have some financial backing. Plus, his run in Trucks could mirror Hocevar’s success in 2025.
Bombastic Option
While bringing in a rookie is sensible, did Spire Motorsports bring in Rodney Childers for a rebuild of the 7 team? Maybe the answer is yes. Childers signed a multi-year deal and looks to be a cornerstone for building Spire Motorsports to a top tier team. However, the Childers move feels more of a “win-now” approach. Maybe Childers is shifted to crew chief for Hocevar, but why spoil the relationship between Hocevar and Luke Lampert?
Since Spire Motorsports chose to let Corey LaJoie go early, the new driver for the team should be a guaranteed improvement. Looking at the current landscape of the Cup Series and silly season, there is a driver who keeps receiving attention about their current situation: Kyle Busch. Busch’s 2024 has been a disaster. Lack of speed, patience, and luck are currently keeping Busch out of the playoff picture. Based on demeanor alone, Busch does not appear to be content with Richard Childress Racing. Although that perceived unhappiness did not lead to Busch leaving for Joe Gibbs Racing, maybe the problems have worsened enough that Busch looks to get out of his contract a season early.
It definitely would be a wild silly season if Busch manages to free himself from RCR to go to Spire. First off, would that be an improvement for Busch? RCR has been bad this season, but Busch did pick up 3 wins last year and Spire’s peak is still Top-20 runs. The potential of Busch/Childers pairing could elevate the team to the next phase of competitiveness. However, Busch clearly wants to run in race winning equipment. Even with Childers, Spire will not be a weekly race contending team next year.
A Name to Watch
Keep an eye on Justin Haley. Haley has been impressive running with Rick Ware Racing. His performance made him a name that was considered for the Wood Brothers. Ultimately, Haley stated that he would remain at Rick Ware Racing for giving him his current opportunity. The 51 driver is grateful that RWR brought him in despite his lack of funding and kept him in the Cup Series. For the Wood Brothers, Haley would not leave RWR for that opportunity. So why would he do it for Spire Motorsports?
Justin Haley owns the first (and only) Cup Series for Spire Motorsports. Prior to driving for Kaulig in Cup, Haley frequently drove for Spire in a part-time capacity. On the Cup level, Spire was the first team to give a shot to Haley. There is a relationship already established there. Add in a more promising future with Childers, then it would be enticing for Haley to return.
Replacing Corey LaJoie with Justin Haley would be an improvement that would justify the firing. Unlike a rookie, Haley has Cup experience and has demonstrated the ability to maximize the equipment he is given. Giving him Rodney Childers on the pit box could unlock greatness for both driver and team. While it is not a certainty this happens, it is something to watch as silly season continues.
